Lots of Big Meals

This week's menu plan is a lot of big meals with lots of leftovers.

Friday - Tuna Noodle Casserole (I decided on this instead of Tilapia)
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Spaghetti with turkey meatballs and homemade garlic bread
Monday - Roast turkey with stuffing, green beans, and cranberry sauce
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Turkey noodle soup
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Baked Tilapia, corn, and loaded mashed potatoes


Tuna Noodle Casserole - serves 8

• 3 cans tuna
• 2 cans condensed mushroom soup
• 1 jar salsa con queso
• 1 bag noodles (boiled)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 chopped green pepper
• 1 package chopped mushrooms (or one can)
• shredded cheese to top
• 1 sleeve of saltine crackers

Combine tuna, mushroom soup, and salsa con queso into baking dish. Saute onion, green pepper, and mushrooms until translucent then add to the tuna mix and stir well. Add noodles to the baking dish and stir until thoroughly combined. Top with shredded cheese of your liking. Crush entire sleeve of saltine crackers and sprinkle over the entire top of the casserole evenly. Bake for 35 minutes at 350* F or until bubbling and completely heated. Serve and enjoy.

Linked up with Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Another Week

Ok, so another week has passed and I have to start thinking about the menu again. Why does it feel like everyone ALWAYS needs to eat LOL.

Saturday - Baked chicken, with stuffing and green beans
Sunday - Tuna noodle casserole
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Chicken quesadillas and salad
Wednesday - Potato soup with butter bread
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Baked Tilapia with corn and mac and cheese

This week we have two leftover nights. Both Saturday and Sunday's meals are large even for our family and allows for plenty of leftovers. Some of our favorite things are these two leftovers and it makes for an easy night for dinner. And the potato soup I only know how to make in one size so we always eat it for at least two days. This means that perhaps soup and salad will be Thursday's supper for the entire family or perhaps ECJ will opt to make himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead (as he is want to do when he's bored with what I'm cooking ... I try to teach him to cook but he figures that sandwiches will do along with cereal).

Linked up this week with Organizing Junkies Menu Mondays.

A Birthday Menu

OK ... so, on Sunday ECJ turned 15 and we had ourselves a bit of a birthday party with just the five of us. His favorite meal isn't going to be served until Monday simply because I'm not going grocery shopping until Monday.

Saturday - Potato soup with butter bread
Sunday - Chicken, rice, gravy, and green beans ... orange cake with chocolate ice cream for desert
Monday - Homemade Nachos with leftover cake and ice cream for desert
Tuesday - Roasted chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots and noodles
Wednesday - Pork chops with corn and baked potatoes
Thursday - Potato soup with butter bread
Friday - Baked fish with cheesy potatoes and spinach

Linked up today with Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

The Not a Menu Menu

Why am I calling this The Not a Menu Menu? Well, because it's just sort of a general idea of what we MAY eat each of the days in the upcoming week. I didn't stick to last week's menu at all and figured that I really don't know if I'll stick with this one either. With the holidays coming up I'll be taking a week or so away from blogging and will be back sometime around the 4th of January! So here's what we MAY be eating between now and then.

Friday - Bratwurst, fried potatoes, and corn
Saturday - Baked ham, spinach salad, and cheesy potatoes
Sunday - Baked Talapia (fish), buttered noodles, and green beans
Monday - Chicken wraps 
Tuesday - Noni is coming out so we may just eat out this night
Wednesday - Beef roast with roasted veggies
Thursday - Italian dressing chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and spinach

Friday - Baked Talapia (fish), rice with gravy, and beets
Saturday - Daddy and I will eat some chili left over and reheated from the freezer, the kids will be eating other leftovers
Christmas/Sunday - We'll be eating at Grandma and Papa's, we'll be bringing banana pudding and the pickle tray
Monday - Bratwurst, sour kraut, and mashed potatoes
Tuesday - Chicken legs baked, baked beans, and corn
Wednesday - Potato soup with butter bread
Thursday - Leftover day

Friday - Baked Talapia (fish), fried potatoes, and green beans
Saturday - Spaghetti and garlic bread
Sunday - Baked Ham, baked potatoes, and corn
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Italian Dressing Chicken, rice with gravy, and green beans
Wednesday - Chicken Noodle Soup and grilled cheese
Thursday - Breakfast for supper: turkey bacon, eggs, and toast

I'll see you guys in the new year! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


Linked up with Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Shopping and a Menu

So, I've had several people ask how I can do one main grocery shopping trip each month, have enough food to last, and still feed five people on less than $420 a month. Because of that I've decided to do a quick post this week about how I manage to do that. I don't use coupons mainly because I don't tend to buy name brand items ...  I do, however, use store coupons but only on products that I would already be buying. What good is a coupon for buy one get one free anything if it's something that no one in your house is ever going to eat?

I start with a simple list of what we've run out of, or are short on, already ...

This month this is what that list looks like:

• pork (chops, loins, whatever is on sale)
• ground turkey (at least five pounds)
• fish (at least four pounds, preferably six or eight depending on price)
• boneless/skinless chicken breasts or loins (for chicken quesadillas and chicken wraps ... three packages)
• turkey bologna and hot dogs (five packs each)
• sliced and shredded cheeses
• cream of mushroom soup (about 24 cans, we go through a lot)
• Ramen soup (chicken and beef ... a case of each)
• bananas
• apples
• oranges
• potatoes
• onions
• tomatoes
• lettuce
• salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and chicken seasoning
• nacho cheese chips (for nachos)
• salsa con queso cheese dip (for nachos)
• sour cream
• tortilla shells
• variety of juices
• pickles and olives
• variety of cereals and oatmeal
• eggs
• 2 containers of butter
• peanut butter and jelly (two containers of each)

I already have a lot of chicken in my freezer (a shelf and a half full) so I won't be doing a huge shopping trip for meat this month. And honestly my pantry is pretty full considering that the teenage boy swallows food like a black hole. Notice that there's very little junk food listed. I don't buy much and then it's usually for a special occasion like if we host a BBQ or something like that. That list is relatively small for a month worth of food and although I would like a TON of fish it really just depends on the price. I'll buy four pounds if it's not on sale and probably eight pounds if it is, which would mean that I don't have to buy fish for next month. I shop clearance sections for several of my meat items and an off brand grocery store that is more reasonably priced than the regular stores. We eat pretty much the same thing every month so that makes it easier for me to plan.

You'll notice that bread and milk are not on the above list. Neither is the couple of things I need to pick up for the Christmas holiday. I pick those things up each week, or in the case of the holiday a few days beforehand. We go through about two gallons of milk a week and three loaves of bread, so every week I pop into the store for bread and milk. I store the bread in the refrigerator so that it's fresher and not as soft when spreading things like butter or peanut butter on it.

This week's menu:

Saturday - nachos
Sunday - baked chicken with stuffing, buttered noodles, and green beans
Monday - ground turkey tacos
Tuesday - pork chops, baked potatoes, and corn
Wednesday - chicken noodle soup (using up the leftover chicken from Sunday)
Thursday - chili dogs and french fries
Friday - baked fish, mac and cheese, and spinach

Nachos done simply

1. one - two pounds ground turkey meat
2. one - two jars of salsa con queso
3. garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper
4. one - two bags of nacho cheese chips

Brown ground turkey in frying pan with seasonings. When meat is finished cooking add the jar(s) of salsa con queso into the same pan and heat until just warm. Put chips on a plate and cover with meat and cheese mix. Top with sour cream, tomatoes, olives, peppers ... whatever you like on top of your nachos. ENJOY!

Linked up today with Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Tasty Tid-Bits

For this week's menu I went for tasty. Not for anything fancy but just good, solid meals that taste good.

Saturday - Chicken with stuffing and green beans
Sunday - Baked ham, au gratin potatoes, and spinach
Monday - Pork chops, buttered noodles, and corn
Tuesday - Split Pea and ham soup with garlic bread (and butter bread)
Wednesday - Leftover night - possibly sandwiches and soup
Thursday - BBQ chicken (baked if it's snowing), bacon/ranch pasta salad, and green beans
Friday - Talapia (white fish), fried potatoes, and corn

See? Nothing fancy. Just good meals for the family that we all enjoy.

No recipes for you this week. Hubby likes to keep his pea soup recipe to himself and not even I know it.

Joined up today with Organizing Junkie for Menu Mondays.

Easy Menu

Well, for this week I'll again be posting our menu. Nope, not doing it every week because some weeks I don't know day to day what we'll be eating because I have no intention of planning anything out. And, yeah, this week the menu could change pretty easily depending on what we're in the mood to eat.

Friday - pork chops, rice, and mushroom gravy
Saturday - baked BBQ chicken, butter noodles, and corn
Sunday - split pea and ham soup
Monday - chili dogs and mac and cheese
Tuesday - breakfast for supper: turkey bacon, scrambled eggs, and pancakes after catechism class
Wednesday - chicken wraps
Thursday - leftover night where we eat all the leftovers we haven't already eaten for lunch the next day
Friday - pork chops, green beans, and buttered noodles 

As you can see there's nothing special about this week's menu. We're not even using Thanksgiving leftovers because we didn't bring any home from Grandma's house this year. My freezer is completely stocked with chicken, pork, fish, and a bit of beef. OH! And an extra ham because this month hubby found two hams on sale for under $20 each! We rarely eat beef anymore but I do have a beef roast in the freezer thanks to a buy one get one free sale again this month. Our main staples are chicken (due to the price), pork, and fish. I'd give you a recipe for this week but really there's nothing that requires a recipe and our split pea and ham soup varies each time we make it.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful week full of yummy good food!

Joining up with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

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Delicious Menu

There's a lot of things that I make in my crock pot this time of year. This menu reflects some of them.

Saturday - Baked ham, fried potatoes, and green beans
Sunday - Fend for yourself leftovers
Monday - Split pea and ham soup with bread
Tuesday - Beef roast with potatoes and green beans
Wednesday - Chicken thighs, corn, and fried potatoes
Thursday - Fend for yourself leftovers
Friday - Spinach spaghetti

Spinach Spaghetti

In crock pot place two jars of spaghetti sauce, two cans of spinach (fresh spinach can be used with no change), can of mushrooms, can of diced tomatoes, and seasonings to taste. I add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar. Give a good stir and turn on low for one hour (two hours if using fresh spinach). Then turn down to keep warm until ready to eat. Make spaghetti noodles ten minutes before you're ready to eat. Top with parmasian cheese.

Linked up with Organizing Junkie's Menu Monday

The Maybe Menu

Okay, this week the menu is what we'll be eating "maybe" ... meaning that I'm not really sure if this is what we're going to be eating but it sounds good right now....


Saturday: Daddy's homemade chili
Sunday: Chicken quesadillas
Monday: Pork chops and rice with mushroom gravy
Tuesday: Potato soup and crackers
Wednesday: Meatloaf with corn and mashed potatoes on the side
Thursday: Leftover night (usually done on Sundays but this week I'll have plenty of leftovers)
Friday: Baked talapia with green beans and rice on the side

Potato Soup Recipe:
6-8 good sized potatoes cubed into small pieces
1 med. onion, diced
butter
instant mashed potatoes
milk
water (to cover potatoes)
chicken seasoning
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to taste

Put diced onion and butter into soup pot and sautee onions until nearly translucent. Turn off heat and add in cubed potatoes, water, and seasonings. Turn heat back on to high until comes to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for one hour. Add instant mashed potatoes and milk until it's the thickness that you want (some people like super thick and others like relatively thin potato soup, my family likes it thick enough that the youngest calls it "Mashed Potato Soup:")

Linked up with Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday

A Birthday Menu

It's been a super long time since I did a Menu Mondays post (since before I changed blogs to this one over a year ago, and of course I didn't blog for most of the past year). So, I decided that it was time to do one. I don't know if I'll do one every week or not but we'll see shall we?

So, this week is Peanut's birthday (8 years old!) and each person in this family picks what they want to eat on their birthday. Daddy even usually cooks on my birthday and makes whatever I want to eat. Since her birthday is Tuesday we're having an extra special birthday meal that day!

 I only include what we are having for dinner in these posts because we usually have the same things all week for breakfast (cereal, oatmeal, or eggs) and lunch (sandwiches, ramen noodles, or leftovers) and that would get pretty boring to read each day. I will try to include at least one of my recipes each week that I post these just so you can try it yourself if you like. I'll also state here that normally Sunday's are leftover days in our house but since I have pork chops sitting in my fridge just needing to be made Sunday this week is NOT leftovers.

Saturday : Chicken wraps and baby carrots
Sunday : Pork with portabella mushrooms and mushroom gravy over white rice
Monday : Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
Tuesday : (Peanut's request) Steak with baked potatoes and corn ... Daddy and I will be eating portabella mushrooms with baked potatoes and corn since neither of us want to eat steak right now ... heart shaped brownies for desert instead of cake this year.
Wednesday : Polish sausage with sour kraut and mashed potatoes
Thursday : Poor man's "cabbage" soup with butter bread
Friday : Baked Talapia with butter noodles and green beans

Poor man's "cabbage" soup

Leave leftover polish sausage and sour kraut in crock pot ... add two cans of tomato juice (vegetable juice works just as well) and a can of mushrooms. Add garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt all to taste. Put crock pot on keep warm setting and leave over night and through the next day. Everything is now wonderfully seasoned and you didn't need to worry about cooking for one whole day!! 

Daddy and I came up with this recipe many years ago when every penny had to be stretched two and three times to make sure that the two of us ate (we were young and in love but that didn't fill the belly). It's remained a family favorite throughout the past thirteen years and we make it at least once a month no matter what the weather outside is doing.


Typed up: 9-10-16

Linked with I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday