I missed menu planning last week since we had company arrive. Our company is still here, but I insisted on a menu plan this week! I was lost last week without one!
One thing I have struggled with is I am used to cooking portions for two adults and two kids. Since my parents are here we have four adults. We have had no leftovers at all. The men have probably had smaller portions than they would like but I promise no one is starving!
If you are new to Menu Planning, check out my tips on creating a menu plan.
Monday- Asparagus Crab Soup & Bread
Tuesday- Ham and Scalloped Potatoes (Ham leftover from Sunday)
Wednesday- Tacos (using ground turkey)
Thursday– Chef Salad for my parents & kids (Hubby and I are going out to celebrate our Anniversary- a bit early but we have free babysitting!)
Friday– Ham & Beans (use ham bone from freezer; my mom is sharing her recipe with me and I will be sharing it with you!)
What is on your menu this week?
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Hi,
Our kids are grown now, but I menu planned for years in order to save money, it’s the only room in the house you can do it in. I would look through the sale paper for the grocery store and build menu’s off of what was on sale for protein (chicken, beef etc) and always tried to cook once to eat twice, which means when I put the oven on to make a meatloaf, I made two thereby saving myself some gas usage.
A nice trick is to line your baking pans with foil so that when you bake a lasagne, for example, you can freeze another one by lifting it out of it’s pan after it’s frozen by using the foil. Pans lost in the freezer are pans I cannot use!!
Cook and bake from scratch. You can make rolls aplenty for pennies and then have leftover ones for the next day’s breakfast.
When turkey is on sale make sure to get a big one and have the store butcher saw a frozen bird in half for you, right down the middle, and then you can bake them separately, cut side down.
All in all tho, if you really want the cheapest recipes’ you can find, try the site Better Budgeting. Dot com I believe. She has recipes over there that are so cheap you’ll just die reading them!
Once I had the protein’s in place, I then went through my cookbooks to find 6 dinners, including all sides and dessert, leaving the 7th for a combo leftover meal. We would eat that the night before I shopped, thereby letting me clean out the fridge real quick. I baked a lot, not mixes, but from scratch. You can make what I used to call busy-day cakes in an hour and just serve them with anything from powdered sugar to jam to whipped cream to frosting…..
I am glad the boys are up and out now, so I don’t have to cook that way anymore, however it’s a hard habit to break, and I find myself still cooking cheaply from the sales in the circulars.
have fun!!
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for sharing! I do many of the things you mentioned. I have never had the butcher cut a frozen turkey though- what a great idea! I generally only meal plan for the work week. I do cook on the weekends but I like to be creative. I usually do the bulk of my cooking on the weekend actually. I love using my freezer too! We have made huge leaps this year with cooking more from scratch.
Thanks for stopping by!
Asparagus crab soup sounds delicious!!