Menu plan: What a week!

This is going to be a crazy week at my household.  My daughter is in a play on the weekend and rehearsals end right at dinnertime.  My parents are visiting later in the week, and then on Sunday it's Mother's Day!  Thank goodness I did some freezer cooking on Saturday, or else I don't know what I'd do!

So here's the plan for this week:

Monday - black bean chili over spaghetti (with black beans from the freezer)

Tuesday - Crockpot Chicken and Olives (from the freezer) over brown rice, cut up veggies

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on French bread (from the freezer),  fruit

Thursday - macaroni and cheese, salad

Friday - chicken with peppers and tomatoes, brown rice, salad, challah

Saturday - Clean Out the Crisper pasta and vegetables, fruit

Sunday - take out (the restaurants are too busy on Mother's Day!)

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

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Menu plan: Meat in the freezer again!

There's meat in the freezer now!

Last week I made a run to the kosher butcher - this was the first time I had bought meat there all year, though I had picked some up at the Albertsons closing sale. (They had a kosher butcher within the store.  I so miss that.)

And boy, did I get sticker shock.  After months of typing in great deals on meat for my "Under a Buck" series, it was sad to see the prices.  But I did the best I could, so now we have ground beef, chicken breasts, and a few whole chickens in the freezer.  Along with canned tuna and hot dogs, I'm hoping we won't have to go shopping again for meat for a couple more months.

So you won't be finding loads of meat in my menu plan.  Also, I'm repeating last week's plan for Monday - the menu plan there was derailed by my birthday dinner FAIL.  And this weekend I hope to be doing some freezer cooking, so meals will be super simple!

Monday - macaroni and cheese, tuna salad, cut-up veggies

Tuesday - chicken stir-fry over brown rice

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - hamburger patties, oven fries, cut-up veggies

Friday - roast chicken, rice with caramelized onions and cranberries, soup, salad, challah

Saturday - grilled cheese and tomato soup

Sunday - eat out!

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Tasty Tuesday for more menu plans!

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Menu plan: No meat in the freezer

We're out of meat.

Yep, no meat in the freezer.  We do have some canned tuna and some chicken broth, but other than that, no animals in the house.  (Well, there is a bunny, but we won't be eating him!)

And  I've pretty much run out of money in my food budget this week.  (My shopping week ends on Wednesday).

So what are we to do?  It's going to be vegetarianish for the beginning of the week, with a much-needed run to the butcher at the end of the week.

Monday - macaroni and cheese, tuna salad, cut-up veggies

Tuesday - veggie chili with beans over brown rice

Wednesday - green pepper pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - Clean Out the Crisper Pasta and Vegetables, salad

Friday - roast chicken, kasha varnishkes, soup, salad, challah

Saturday - black bean burritos

Sunday - eat out!

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Tasty Tuesday for more menu plans!

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Menu Plan: Back to normal

We're getting back to normal here at the Frugal Follies household. I've started replenishing my stores of bread products, although there are still a lot of items that I couldn't buy this week. And there's not much meat in the freezer at all. It's rather empty. I plan to hit the butcher late next week, but I'll plan out an mostly vegetarian week, just in case I don't.

Monday - pasta with meat sauce (I do have a little ground beef), salad

Tuesday - black bean burritos, brown rice with tomatoes and green chilies

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - macaroni & cheese, cut-up veggies

Friday - stir-fry veggies over brown rice (and some beef or chicken if I've bought it by then)

Saturday - grilled cheese and tomato soup

Sunday - takeout!

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Tasty Tuesday for more menu plans!

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Menu Plan: I heart bread

Passover will be over Tuesday night, and thus it's back to my regularly scheduled menu plans!  Again, I haven't put too much thought into this week's plan - all I know is that I want to incorporate a lot of pasta and a lot of bread, which we have been sorely missing this week.

Monday - leftover turkey, roasted potato wedges, salad

Tuesday - pasta, pasta, pasta, and more pasta!  (and some salad)

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - ground beef with tomatoes, onions, and peppers over brown rice

Friday - chicken, pasta with veggies, challah
Saturday - banana pancakes, fruit

Sunday - takeout!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

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Menu Plan: Planned well in advance for once!

Passover is here! I planned my menu out way in advance for once - part of my suggestions on saving money on Passover food.  So this is what we'll be having this week

Monday - Passover seder at my in-laws' home.  I'll be bringing enough salad to feed 25 people.

Tuesday - Passover seder at my house: chicken soup with matzah balls, gefilte fish, chopped liver, turkey, apple matzah stuffing, vegetable kugel, salad, fruit

Wednesday - Passover "Macaroni" and Cheese, cut-up veggies

Thursday - leftovers from the two seders

Friday - chicken soup, turkey & farfel casserole (farfel is small broken pieces of matzah)

Saturday - matzah lasagna, salad

Sunday  - leftover turkey, mini potato knishes, fruit

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

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Menu Plan: I dunno

Menu plan time, and I have to say, this is the first that I've thought about what I'm making for dinner. I've spent so much time thinking about what I'm making next week, for Passover, that this week seems to have been completely forgotten.  I'll be preparing for Passover over the weekend, so I probably won't be able to cook for the family those nights, plus all the bread and other non-Passover foods will be put away by then.

So, um, I'm making up what I will be making this week on the spot. Hope I have all the things I need to make this stuff.

Monday - black bean chili over whole-wheat penne

Tuesday - chicken fried rice

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - clean-out-the-crisper pasta and vegetables, salad

Friday - chicken with tomatoes and peppers, brown rice, challah

Saturday - takeout!

Sunday - more takeout!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

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Menu Plan: Almost time for Passover

Passover is coming, and I'm not ready yet!  For those of you who are unaware of the dietary restrictions of the holiday - during the eight days of Passover, you are not supposed to eat bread, any sort of bread product, or any product containing wheat, barley, spelt, rye, or oats.  For those tracing their origin to Eastern Europe, as I do, also prohibited are rice, corn, beans, lentils, and peanuts.

I've been stockpiling for the last several months, since I started really using coupons, and so I have lots of products with these ingredients in my pantry.  I have to move them out (or at least to a different part of the pantry) and start shopping for matzah and other foods for the holiday.  Lots to do!

I also have to clear out as much of the non-Passover food out of the freezer and refrigerator as I can, so we'll be eating a lot of those foods this week. 

Monday - red kidney bean chili over brown rice

Tuesday - roast chicken (the one I forgot to cook last Friday, when my freezer cooking saved the day), pasta, salad, whole wheat French bread

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - black bean burritos, cut-up veggies

Friday - chicken soup, chicken fried rice with veggies, challah

Saturday - grilled cheese with tomato soup, cut-up veggies

Sunday - takeout!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu plans!

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Menu Plan: Freezer bounty

Last week I filled up the freezer during my Freezer Cooking Days.  Now, it's time to start clearing it out again!  Passover is coming in three weeks, so I want to use up all the bread products and other items forbidden during the holiday that are in the freezer and refrigerator.  I'll need that room when I do my next Freezer Cooking Days at the end of March to prepare for the holiday.

Monday - vegetarian chili over whole-wheat pasta

Tuesday - tabbouleh salad with feta cheese over salad greens, whole-wheat garlic bread

Wednesday - mushroom pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - hot dogs, baked beans, whole-wheat pasta salad, cut-up veggies

Friday - chicken soup with matzo balls, challah, roast chicken, rice pilaf, salad

Saturday - breakfast for dinner - banana-strawberry whole-wheat pancakes

Sunday - takeout!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for other plans!

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Menu Plan: What's old is new again

Time for another menu plan here at Frugal Follies.  This week, the freezer is prety full from purchases at the Albertsons closing sale and from cooking done for Freezer Cooking Day, and the fridge is full of various leftovers, so we'll be planning many of the meals around those items.  I started a crockpot of black beans on Sunday night, so those will be perfect for burritos on Monday.  We have some leftover spaghetti and sauce from a takeout meal of chicken Parmesan, so that'll be featured on Tuesday.  And I forgot to make kasha varnishkes last Friday, so I'll do that this Friday.

Monday - black bean burritos, brown rice with tomatoes and chilies topped with cheese

Tuesday - spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Wednesday - cheese pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, fruit

Thursday - fish fillets with brown rice pilaf, cut-up veggies

Friday - chicken soup, challah, roast chicken, kasha varnishkes, salad

Saturday - breakfast for dinner - French toast made from the remnants of the challah

Sunday - eat out!

Check out Menu Plan Monday for other plans!

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Menu Plan: Leftovers galore

Last week's menu plan of eating from the pantry was so successful, this week we'll be doing it again!  I overspent so much at the Albertsons closing sale that I need to do this to salvage my budget for February.  Luckily, March is just around the corner!

We are definitely running low on meat, but I'm resolving not to buy any until next week.  In fact, the only food I hope to buy this week is pasta and Parmesan cheese at the Publix Italian Days sale, flour and yeast for baking, a few veggies, and milk. 

Monday - chicken, pinto beans, and salsa over whole-wheat pasta

Tuesday - tabbouleh and ground beef over salad greens

Wednesday - cheese pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust

Thursday - hot dogs, cornbread twists, cut-up veggies

Friday - chicken soup, challah, baked chicken wings, kasha varnishkes, salad

Saturday - leftovers of the leftovers or grilled cheese with tomato soup

Sunday - sub sandwiches

Check out Menu Plan Monday for other plans!

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Meal Plan: Eating from the pantry again

This week, I had a lot of fun going way over my budget shopping at the Albertsons closing sale, so my pantry and freezer are very full. Time for another week of eating from the pantry! I have lots of refrigerated salsa (with a coupon, they paid me 11 cents to take it) to use up, so we'll have Mexican a couple of times this week. And there's tons of tuna, mushrooms, and canned fruit.

Monday - refried bean burritos with salsa and sour cream, canned fruit

Tuesday - beef stew in the crockpot over brown rice

Wednesday - mushroom and cheese pizza on homemade whole-wheat crust, cut-up veggies

Thursday - tuna and shell pasta casserole, canned fruit

Friday - roasted chicken, tabbouleh, salad, challah

Saturday - nachos (not the most nutritious dinner in the world, but lots of fun!)

Sunday - TBA, maybe takeout!
 
Check out Menu Plan Monday and Monday Menus for other plans!

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Meal Plan: Leftovers and Love

Time for this week's meal plan!

Early in the week, I'll be using up the leftovers from the Super Bowl meal I made (chili, breadsticks, tomato sauce, cheese sauce, tortilla chips, and veggies - check my last meal plan for all the details). Later on in the week, we'll have a friend of my daughter over for the weekend, so there will be lots of kid-friendly meals then. And Sunday, of course, is Valentine's Day. Though I'd love to be wined and dined, this year we're watching our money, so we'll just have a nice romantic dinner at home.

Monday - lasagna roll-ups, Caesar salad, breadsticks

Tuesday - beef and bean chili, tossed salad

Wednesday - mushroom and cheese pizza on whole wheat pizza crust, fruit

Thursday - macaroni and cheese with whole-wheat penne, cut-up veggies, breadsticks

Friday - challah, tortilla chips-crusted chicken, rice, salad

Saturday - banana pancakes, cut-up fruit

Sunday - Chicken Kiev, rice pilaf, salad, dessert TBA, wine

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Monday Menus for other plans!

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Menu Plan: Super Bowl Noshing

Another Monday, another meal plan.

I've been cooking for the freezer this weekend - not full meals, but ingredients that will help make meals come together quicker.  I've made whole-wheat French breads, chicken broth, and crockpot applesauce.  Still to come are tomato sauce and pinto beans.  So I'll be incorporating these ingredients into meals this week.

At the end of the week... Super Bowl Sunday!  This is one of my favorite meals to make all year, and one of my kids' favorites to eat!  Instead of making a main course, I make several appetizers to nosh on throughout the game.

So here's what's on the menu:

Monday - pinto bean chili over brown rice

Tuesday - beef lo mein over thin whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Wednesday - mushroom and cheese pizza on homemade whole wheat crust, cut up veggies

Thursday - whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce with whole wheat garlic bread, salad

Friday - chicken soup with matzo balls, challah, baked chicken, tabbouleh salad

Saturday - leftover extravaganza

Sunday - Super Bowl snacks: jalapeno poppers, nachos, chili, veggies and dip, breadsticks with tomato sauce for dipping

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Monday Menus for other plans!

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Menu Plan: Too much tomato sauce

This week, I'm finishing up the Eat from the Pantry Challenge, so I'm trying to use up the items in my pantry that I have way, way, way too much of.

I have almost a dozen cans of tomato sauce (Hunt's and Muir Glen brands), some dribs and drabs of whole-wheat pastas in various shapes and sizes, some instant brown rice side dish boxes, whole-wheat couscous from the Whole Foods bins, and some instant sweet potatoes bought around Thanksgiving for $.15 a box.

So that's what the menu will revolve around.

Monday - tuna casserole (made from various types of whole wheat noodles)

Tuesday - Mexican chicken over couscous

Wednesday - green pepper and cheese pizza on homemade whole wheat crust, cut-up veggies

Thursday - ground beef and rice casserole

Friday - roasted chicken with sweet potato pancakes, salad

Saturday - leftover extravaganza, or grilled cheese with tomato soup

Sunday - TBD - may be takeout or another easy to make meal

Check out Menu Plan Monday and Monday Menus for other plans!

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Menu Plan: Cleaning out the fridge!

Last week was the first week I had done a formal menu plan, and it went over very well! Because I knew what I was making, I didn't end up rushing at 5:30 to defrost meat or search through cabinets to see if I had the ingredients necessary for a dish. It has definitely helped me get my life more organized.

This week I'm continuing the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. I especially want to work this week on using up items in my refrigerator door. Sometimes those sauces and condiments sit for weeks, months, and dare I say, years. It's time to use them up! I also have some packages of chicken that have been in the freezer for a few months, and lots of cans of beans and vegetables in the pantry.

So here's what I'm planning to make this week:

Monday - tabbouleh salad with marinated chickpeas and whole-wheat breadsticks

Tuesday - buffalo chicken wings and potato wedges, cut-up veggies and dip

Wednesday - mushroom and cheese pizza on homemade whole wheat pizza crust

Thursday - penne in meat sauce, salad

Friday - chicken in apricot sauce on brown rice, salad

Saturday - whole-wheat pancakes, fruit

Sunday - TBD

Check out Menu Plan Monday for other plans!

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Menu Plan: What menu plan?

I'm not usually a menu planning sort of person. I tend to forget I even have to cook dinner until 5:30, when the kids start tugging on my sleeve, asking, "What's for dinner?" So I have to quickly defrost meat, or lean on one of my quick vegetarian meals, or just make pasta or grilled cheese.

So, the lack of plan is clearly not a good plan!

Also, since I'm participating in the Eat from the Pantry Challenge, I'm trying to use up the items that have been languishing in my freezer, like bone-in cuts of meat and poultry that need to be cooked over a longer time - so menu planning is absolutely necessary!

Here's what I'm planning to make this week. Recipes to be posted soon.

Monday - Clean out the crisper pasta and vegetables
Tuesday - Chicken and black bean stew over brown rice
Wednesday - Mexican pizza made with bread-machine whole-wheat pizza crust
Thursday - Pepper steak over brown rice
Friday - Roast chicken, kasha varnishkes (buckwheat groats and bow-tie noodles), salad
Saturday - Leftover extravaganza!
Sunday - TBD

What are you making this week? Leave a comment, or check out these other menu plans!

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