Menu Plan Monday: Budget Watch

Since I've decided to get back into blogging, I've also decided to get back into my old, happy schedule.  It's Monday, so that means it's time to plan my meals for the week!  I'm linking up as before with Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie.

BREAKFASTS:
Apple Spice and Blueberry Muffins
Cereal
Banana Bread (still looking for a great recipe, so comment if you have one!)
Potato and Egg Tacos
Yogurt & Fruit

LUNCHES:
PB&J with fruit
Soup and Sandwiches
Cheese Quesadillas

DINNERS:
Monday: Leftover Spaghetti from Sunday night, Texas Toast, Steamed Veggies
Tuesday: Chili and Potato Casserole - I will be making this recipe up as I go along, but the basic idea is roasted russet potatoes topped with canned chili and shredded cheddar cheese - with salad and steamed veggies.
Wednesday: Leftover Casserole
Thursday: Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing (I use homemade cream of chicken soup and chicken broth in place of the canned here.)

Friday: Homemade Pizza for movie night.
Saturday: MM is cooking his college days concoction, "Meat and Rice"
Sunday: On-our-own

Well, that's it for this week!  Looks like a yummy week and all the meals on the menu will require NO grocery shopping.  Yay!  I'll have to make a run later this week for salad, milk for Bunny, and a few other perishables, but that'll be it.  Oh how I love easy shopping weeks.  It's easy on our budget and our schedule, too.

Thanks for reading and many blessings to you!

Menu Plan Monday: Week of April 23, 2012

Phew!  I can't believe that a week has already passed since I've been here!  Last week was a flurry of activities with meetings, activities, and our local Relay for Life event.  This week will, hopefully, be a bit slower-paced and easy-going.

Don't forget to check out Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday links for lots of great ideas and inspiration!

BREAKFASTS:  Cereal & turkey bacon, scrambled/fried eggs & turkey bacon

LUNCHES:  Turkey sandwiches, leftovers from dinners

DINNERS:

Monday:  Salmon burgers with red beans and rice

Tuesday:  On our own - everyone will be in different places at dinner time.

Wednesday:  Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken, brown rice, stir fried veggies

Thursday:  Leftover chicken salads

Friday:  Taco Bake, Salad, WW Tortillas

Saturday:  Leftovers

Sunday:  On our own

It's a fairly uninspired menu plan, but I'm just trying to get through this week.  I have 5 1/2 days of full-time work before Bunny leaves daycare for good and I keep her at the office with me for a few hours a day.  Right now, the house is a mess, laundry is backed up, and I feel like we're not really getting anywhere with anything, but I just have to keep telling myself "one more week, one more week".  Once I'm home most the day, we'll start establishing a schedule and I'll start working on getting the house back in some sort of order.

Menu Plan Monday: Week of April 16, 2012

Welcome back to Menu Plan Monday.  As before, I will be linking up with Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie.  I'm glad to be back to planning...it keeps my waistband and our wallet in check!

BREAKFASTS:  Leftover potato & egg and chorizo & egg tacos, cereal, eggs, turkey bacon, & toast.

LUNCHES:  Deli turkey or chicken sandwiches, leftover (from Saturday) chicken salads.

DINNERS:

Monday:   These delicious slow cooker pork chops, a recipe I found on Pinterest.  They're delicious AND easy!  Sides are roasted potatoes and garden salad.  We'll be having sliced cantaloupe for dessert.

Source: livinglaughingandloving.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

 Tuesday:  Leftover pork chops, steamed broccoli & cauliflower, crescent rolls, side salads, and fruit cups for dessert.

 Wednesday:  Spaghetti, garlic crescent rolls, side salad, naval oranges for dessert.  (This will be Bunny's first taste of spaghetti!!  I will be sure to post pics.)

 Thursday:  Leftover spaghetti, salad, chilled pears for dessert.

 Friday:  On-our-own (Relay for Life is Friday night, so we will probably eating from the booths there.)
 
Saturday:  Beef Enchiladas, white rice, salad w/ homemade cilantro lime salad dressing, berry cobbler for dessert.  The enchilada recipe is from my mom and they are the first enchiladas I have EVER liked.  MM likes them, too, so they will be a regular addition to our menus.  I have the recipe at home, so I will post a review and the recipe next week after I make them.

Sunday:  Leftover enchiladas, salad, & cobbler

Well, that's it for this week.  Adding in the fruit after dinner, even if it's canned, is a new thing for us, just to get us more used to eating fruit.  MM does really well with it, but I really struggle.  The fruit has replaced my evening snack of something usually unhealthy, and doing so has already resulted in a 3 lb. weight loss in 6 days.  Woohoo!  We will definitely be keeping this up!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a blessed week!  Don't forget to head over to Menu Plan Monday for some more inspiration if your dinner menu has gotten a bit dull!!

Menu Plan Monday: October 24th

Phew!  Last week FLEW by and I was sure I wouldn't have enough time to even think about the week's meals, let alone blog about them, but here I am!

BREAKFASTS:  Frozen waffles, eggs & turkey bacon, chorizo & egg tacos

LUNCHES:  Soups, sandwiches, salads

DINNERS:

Monday:  Slow-Cooker Cajun Chicken, Red Beans & Rice  (I'm going to make up the chicken recipe as I throw it into the slow-cooker.  We'll see how this goes!)

Tuesday:  Leftovers

Wednesday:  Grilled sausage, skillet or mashed potatoes

Thursday:  Slow-Cooker Beef and Lentil Stew, salad  (Again, this one will be made up as it goes into the slow-cooker.  Apparently I'm just going to wing it all week!) 

Friday:  Leftovers

Saturday:  Grilled Steak, whatever veggies are fresh at the store, and RED WINE!!  (Our Halloween dinner every year.)

Sunday:  On our own

Well, that's it for this week.  MM said that the weather is going to turn cool at the end of the week, so I'm looking forward to hot chocolate, hot apple cider and some delicious pumpkin-flavored treats!


Don't forget to head over to Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie for what I'm sure will be more great fall-inspired menus and recipes to try out!

Menu Plan Monday: October 17th

Right now I'm desperately trying to get back in to some sort of a routine. I know that with a two-month old, that's nearly impossible, but I simply operate better even if there's an illusion of a routine going on. We've been doing pretty well getting out the door every weekday and getting to bed each night. MM and I seem to have worked out a pretty good schedule where we each at least get the opportunity to have some free time each week. So far, I've spent my free time cleaning and doing laundry, and he's spent his working on small projects that have needed to be done throughout the house (and watching Bunny while I'm pumping - the only downside to the arrangement), but at least we're both having some "baby-free" time every few days.

One area where I've been seriously slacking is in menu planning. I've had ideas in my head for great things to cook, but then we have a rough morning and I forget to pull meat out to thaw or we get home and are exhausted and just get something from a fast food place. That's not so good. Fortunately, breastfeeding/pumping has allowed the sin of unhealthful eating to be at least sidelined for now and I'm still losing weight without much effort. I know that gravy train is going to run out soon, so I'm bound and determined to get back to making healthy meals for us before it's too late and my weight loss stalls out.

Here's what the plan is for the week:  

Breakfasts: Cereal & turkey bacon  

Lunches: Leftovers, sandwiches & chips
 
Dinners:

Monday: Soup and Sandwiches

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice with steamed frozen veggies

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos with beans (I've lost my recipe for the shredded beef, so I'm going to try to recall the recipe from memory. If it tastes good, I'll post the recipe here later.)

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: BBQ or picnic

Sunday: On our own

I'm pretty confident that this is a fairly hassle-free, minimal time commitment menu that can be accomplished with items we have on hand. Hopefully it will go smoothly and we won't be eating out at all this week. Fingers crossed! Don't forget to check out orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Monday post for more menu plans for great inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday: July 11

I am really, really, really having a hard time fathoming the idea that in 5 - 6 weeks (or less), we will be meeting Bunny! I had a scary night over the weekend with some pretty intense contractions that seemed to progress. A lot of water and rest took care of them, but we were having thoughts of a trip to L&D before it was all over. That night spurned us into action and we spent Sunday in a flurry of activity! MM was the house-cleaner extraordinaire, helped me with the grocery shopping, and cooked dinner, while I planned a menu and prepped two weeks' worth of meals for the freezer. It in no way constitutes us being "prepared", but we're a few steps closer!

BREAKFASTS: Egg & veggie tacos on WW tortillas, Cheerios, skim milk

LUNCHES: Leftover chicken fajita salads, salmon sandwiches, pb&j

DINNERS:

Monday & Tuesday:

Peasant Stew w/ salad (I prepped the base for the stew for the slow cooker and also froze one for later.)

Wednesday & Thursday: Garlic Dijon Dump Chicken, Sauteed potatoes & bell peppers, salad (Another item I prepped ahead of time and will just throw in the oven Wednesday evening. I also made two more to freeze. This is a first-time recipe for us, so I will review it on Thursday!)

Friday: Teriyaki salmon (one of MM's specialties), brown rice, & stir fried spinach.

Saturday: BBQ from the freezer stash plus whatever veggies are fresh from the store.

Sunday: On-our-own (no menu today, we'll fend for ourselves!)


So that's it for this week. It feels so good to have a well-stocked freezer and pantry! I also made 3 meatloaves for the freezer and cleaned out the pantry, down to reorganizing, trashing expired items, and even wiping down the shelves! It's so neat and every label is facing forward, just as it should be!!!

Don't forget to head to Organizing Junkie for more menus and recipes at Menu Plan Monday!!

Menu Plan Monday: June 27

It seems like we're really starting to get back into the swing of things. We've been home for TWO WEEKENDS STRAIGHT (woohoo!) and I'm not allowed to travel anymore, so that's the way it'll stay until Bunny arrives. Because of that, things are starting to progress and I'm getting back to being a bit more organized and a bit more on-schedule. As a testament to that, I finally have a real menu plan for the week that we are going to stick to! Don't forget to head over to Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plan Monday ideas in case mine aren't inspiring enough for you!

BREAKFASTS: Cereal and bananas (I'll be going in to work early every day this week).

Saturday: MM's World Famous Potato & Egg tacos
Sunday: MM's World Famous Chorizo & Egg tacos

LUNCHES: Chicken salads, PB&J, apples, salmon salad & crackers

SNACKS: Yogurt, String cheese, Tres Leches Cake

DINNERS:

Monday & Tuesday: Taco Bake, Salad, WW Tortillas

Wednesday & Thursday: Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken, Brown Rice, Steamed Veggies

Friday: Canned Salmon tacos, Pinto Beans, Sauteed Bell Peppers & Onions

Saturday: (Company Dinner) Slow Cooker Kalua Pig Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Oven Fries

Sunday: (Company Dinner) Grilled steaks, Sides TBD depending on what looks good at the store this weekend


I can't wait to stick to a schedule this week! Everything has been so hectic and I just feel like I'm losing my mind without some structure. My awesome Dad & Mom will be here this weekend and Dad is helping MM with the final nursery details and Mom is helping me stock up the freezer with some meals for after Bunny arrives. They are the best!!

What are you eating this week?!

Menu Plan Monday: June 13

After my AWESOME baby shower this weekend, we are back at home for good until Bunny arrives. I'm so thankful for that. I love traveling, but it's well past time for us to get on a regular schedule and back to our routine.

I can't claim that this week's menu is based on being frugal or using what we have on hand. It is based 100% on what we are craving this week.

BREAKFASTS: Red bell pepper omelets, ww tortillas, skim milk, potato and egg tacos, banana Cheerios

LUNCHES: Black bean salads w/ ww toast, salmon salad sandwiches, pb&j

SNACKS: Yogurt, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, string cheese, chocolate pudding cups, granola bars

DINNERS:

Monday: Mama Weaver's Meatloaf w/ roasted sweet potatoes and onions, and salad

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Cajun blackened salmon, red beans & rice, salad w/ homemade cajun vinaigrette

Thursday: Taco bake, ww tortillas, salad

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, cole slaw, oven fries

Sunday: Beef & tofu stir fry, stir fried spinach, brown rice (MM's favorite meal of mine for his first Father's Day)


I'm stoked about this week. I have been getting really great spurts of energy, so I'm going to put that to good use by getting some cleaning, cooking, and organizing done. Getting prepared for Bunny's arrival has also led me to looking into Once A Month Cooking. I've got a few books on the subject, so you may see some more info on my foray into that soon.

Don't forget to check out IHeartOrganizing for more Menu Plan Monday posts. There's always TONS of great recipes and menus for inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday: May 23

I am on hiatus from Menu Plan Monday today, but you can still head to Organizing Junkie for more great menus!!

We are on vacation with the family this week and they planned the menu. I was present for the menu planning session, but was snoring on the couch as the meeting took place. My current plan is to show up and eat! :)

Have a great Monday!!

Menu Plan Monday: May 16

Don't forget to check out the other Menu Plan Monday posters linked up at Organizing Junkie for great meal plans, recipes, and inspiration!

This week is a hectic one since I have to work extra hours, have jury duty 100 miles away on Tuesday, and have to start getting prepared for our trip. We're cutting down on our intake of red meat and also still trying to use up what's on hand in the house.

Breakfasts: Eggs scrambled w/ veggies, ww tortilla, milk, cereal, V8

Lunches: Salmon sandwiches & salad, Black bean salads w/ ww toast, or PB&J w/ granola bar & an apple.

Dinners:

MONDAY: Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Chicken and brown rice. (Yep, the same chicken we tried in this post two weeks ago. We liked it, but I want to mess with it some more. I think I can tweak it into something we'll really like!)

TUESDAY: Leftovers - this is the day I have jury duty, so I will be home late & MM will have to fend for himself with what's in the fridge. (My jury duty was cancelled - yay! - but we'll still be eating leftovers. Maybe then I can catch up on laundry.)

WEDNESDAY: Chicken and tofu stir fry with brown rice. I have no recipe for this; I just make it as I go. Maybe one day I'll write it down.

THURSDAY: Leftovers - I'll start doing laundry and cleaning in preparation for our departure.

FRIDAY: Totino's Pizzas and salad - It's "clean-out-the-fridge" night, so if we don't feel like pizza, we'll eat whatever's left in the fridge.

SATURDAY: Dinner at my grandparent's house or out to eat.

SUNDAY: Dinner at my Dad & Mom's house or out to eat.


Well, there you have it! Another week planned. I'm hoping I can stick to the plan this week and avoid eating out at all since we'll be eating away from home for almost two-weeks straight. What are you and yours eating this week?

Menu Plan Monday: May 2

It's that time again! Head on over to "Menu Plan Monday" at Organizing Junkie for some more great recipes and inspiration!

Breakfasts: Cereal, Egg burritos, Low-sodium V8, Skim Milk

Lunches: Packing lunch all week: PB&J w/ fruit

Dinners:

MONDAY: Spaghetti and Salad

TUESDAY: Leftovers

WEDNESDAY: Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken

THURSDAY: Leftovers

FRIDAY: "Mama Weaver's Meatloaf" and Roasted Potatoes

SATURDAY: Grilled steaks w/ Seasonal veggies

SUNDAY: "On-our-own"


This is another one of those weeks where I'm trying to use what's in the house rather than buy too many groceries. I cut our grocery budget by $200 this month, so it's going to be a challenging month, but I know we can do it!

Menu Plan Monday

To be honest, this may end up being a repeat. I typed out this post before and tried to schedule it to post automatically, but it has somehow disappeared into an internet black hole.

This week's menu was another easy one as we're returning from our Easter mini-vacation. We're about out of grocery money, so I am again working from what we have in stock in our pantry and our freezer.

Breakfasts: Scrambled eggs, WW Toast, WW Pancakes, Cereal

Lunches: Sandwiches, Leftovers, Egg salad salads

Dinners:


MONDAY: Subway on the way home.

TUESDAY: Taco Bake and salad w/ homemade cilantro-lime vinaigrette. This is one of MM's favorites and I really like it, also, especially since it is so easy to make. It also makes a HUGE casserole dish worth, so we are able to eat this for two dinners and several lunches. It's great as a casserole or served as tacos in WW tortillas.

WEDNESDAY: Leftovers.

THURSDAY: Spaghetti, Texas Toast, & salads.

FRIDAY: Leftovers.

SATURDAY: BBQ NIGHT!! Grilled steaks and roasted sweet potatoes and onions.

SUNDAY: Grilled sausage with sauteed onions and peppers.


Well, that's it. Another easy week. An extra bonus is that I have everything for the week already, so will only need to make a quick grocery trip for fresh produce, milk, and bread!

Menu Plan Monday

Today is my first time posting to "Menu Plan Monday", and I'm hoping that it is something I will continue. I love sharing recipes and it gives me more motivation to actually get a good plan going. I'm in the midst of getting organized to prepare for Princess Gummi, and following advice from "I'm An Organizing Junkie" has proved invaluable in getting things done.

This week, my focus was to cut costs and to start using up what is in our pantry and freezer.

So, here it goes!


Breakfasts: Egg omelets w/ ww tortillas, cereal w/ skim milk, fruit, V8

Lunches: Deli meat sandwiches for MM and salmon-salad sandwiches for me, black bean salad, leftovers, pb&j

Dinners:

MONDAY: THIS delicious Peasant Stew. I love this recipe and it's so easy to throw into the slow cooker. I also love that I can have stew in the spring as it's super light, especially with a squeeze of lime juice over it.



TUESDAY: Leftovers.

WEDENSDAY: Salmon tacos w/ pinto beans. We just sautee canned salmon w/ onions, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, and chopped, fresh cilantro in olive oil and serve on corn tortillas with an extra squirt of lime, cheese, and spinach. Delicious AND frugal!

THURSDAY: Totino's pizza with salad. (We will be packing for our Easter travels, so I'm going easy and labor-light for dinner).

FRIDAY: Dinner out with the family while my sister's band "Worship Project" plays. Delicious BBQ!

SATURDAY: A Japanese FEAST at my Baba's house. (My Mom's mom.) I am helping her cook the meal so that I can, hopefully, learn and retain some of her recipes to pass on to Princess Gummi. I should have done this sooner!

SUNDAY: Dinner out with the family again. It will be the last time we see them for about a month, so we're really looking forward to it.


Well, there it is! I was fortunate to do my first Menu Plan Monday on an easy week. The next few weeks will prove to be a little more difficult as I strive to slash our grocery budget by half before baby comes.

Menu Plan Monday

Welcome to another edition of Menu Plan Monday! Head on over to Organizing Junkie for lots more menu plans. It's so much fun to browse for ideas and inspiration!

This week was another relatively easy week to plan. I was going off of what was in the pantry and freezer, and there was one eat-out meal this week since we returned home on Monday. I love eat-out nights because they're easier on me, but those are becoming fewer and further between so we can save up for Princess Gummi.


Breakfasts: Scrambled eggs w/ spinach & onions, V8, cereal w/ skim milk.

Lunches: Leftovers, sandwiches, egg salad

Dinners:

MONDAY: Out-to-eat at Subway

TUESDAY: Taco Bake w/ salad. This is a delicious, easy, and frugal dish that is wonderful as a casserole or as a taco in a ww tortilla. I make this one a lot because it feeds MM and I for days!

WEDNESDAY: Leftover taco bake & salad.

THURSDAY: Spaghetti and salad, garlic bread.

FRIDAY: Leftover spaghetti and salad.

SATURDAY: BBQ Day! Grilled steaks w/ roasted sweet potatoes and salad.