Ok, since we are ALL trying to save somewhat, can you share your menus this week?

[KristineIN]

Tonight we had grilled chicken alfredo, homemade bread and salad
Tomorrow night, burgers on the grill (the weather is slightly warming up and I'm tired of not being able to grill)

Wed-Bible Study fellowship dinner, I'm taking homemade bread
Thursday- not sure yet... probably something with beans & rice.
Friday-Kids have a 4-H pizza, game & movie night
Saturday??
Sunday-we are having friends over after church and I am going to do loaded baked potatoes, I'll cook the potatoes in the crockpot while we are gone, probably have a salad and rolls to go with them.


So what is everyone else having? BTW, dh prefers a decent meal, not soup & salad during the week because he has a physical labor job and needs the extra calories.
Kristine

[PariSarah]

Mon: Chickpea and spinach soup (from 12 Months of Monastery Soups)
Tues: Spaghetti
Weds: Stir-fry (chicken, peppers, onion) and brown rice
Thurs: Black bean burritos
Fri: Steak (Yes. Really! I got ribeye steak for $3 a pound. Dh almost fainted when I brought it home.)
Sat: Quiche
Sun: Pancakes

[Jennifer in MI]

I just made up our list tonight:

Mon (tonight)- buffalo steaks with rice and peas
Tues - Tacos
Wed - homemade pizza
Thurs - lasagne
Fri - Salmon, potatoes
SAt - Enchiladas
Sun - Chili
Mon - Sloppy Joes
Tues - Tacos
Wed - Homemade pizza
Thurs - Mac n' Cheese
Fri - Orange Roughie

Each night there'll also be a veggie, salad and usually some other side dish.

[mcconnellboys]

Tonight we had tacos with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream (hard and soft shells). Also black beans cooked with picante sauce and tortilla chips with gazpacho (the last are leftovers from a banquet).

Tomorrow, we are having pancakes and bacon.

Wednesday, we are having sloppy joes with baked beans.

Thursday, we are having red beans and rice.

I don't pre-plan the weekend,

Regena

[Jean in Newcastle]

Tonight - rice pasta with chicken-apple sausage and veggies in a chicken broth
Tues. - gingered pork and pineapple on rice (in the slow cooker)
Wed. - tuna loaf, rice, veggies
Thurs. - brown rice risotto with lamb (in the slow cooker)
Fri. - sloppy joes made with ground venison
Sat. - cassoulet-style chicken and sausage (in slow cooker)

Not all of my meals are thrifty since we have multiple food allergies.

[Tracey in TX]

Mon-pasta figoli (sp?)
Tues-cereal or drive-thru
Wed-grilled chicken
Thur-???
Fri-pizza
Sat-"honey, let's go to dinner"
Sun-leftovers

[StaceyinLA]

tomorrow I have no idea because I will work and have a wake to go to, but I have a crock pot full of pintos if we need to throw together a burrito or something. We ALWAYS have good, clean lettuces and fixins for salad too.

Wednesday evening we'll probably have a casserole of some sort because we go into town for dd's best friend's dance class (dd's best friend is living with us right now). I try and make up something hubby can throw in the oven when we're on our way home so food will be ready when we arrive.

I haven't really planned out the rest of the week, but we'll probably have something with beans (I have been doing the crock pot refried beans and they are AWESOME), and I'll cook dh something with deer meat.

Of course we have some sort of fresh or frozen veggies, and/or a salad every night.

[Virginia Dawn]

I'm not sure which days I'll have what but this week we will be eating:
Pancit
Swedish Meatballs w/ rice and veggies
chicken thighs and ?
Corn Chowder and cheese biscuits

Tonight we went out to dinner for our 26th! anniversary, the kids had boxed frozen pizza. Wednesdays we have dinner at church.

[Chris in VA]

We don't assign meals to days except when we need a quick meal or a meal to take to a potluck (Weds. in Lent, for ex.)

Our meals this week:
Chicken (whole) probably with rice and a frozen veggie like broccoli, or a salad
Hamsteak and sweet potatoes and salad
Spagetti
pizza
roast (I think dh got a pork tenderloin) with mashed potatoes and a veggie
Hamburgers (probably with french fries or something)
pasta salad--Our first "Spring Meal! (pasta, italian dressing, grape tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh mushrooms, peppers, cukes all in a big bowl!)

[Amy in Orlando]

Tonight we went out to dinner for our 26th! anniversary

:D 26 years???? That is awesome. I hope you had fun!!

Tues/tonight - we had leftovers - if it's not eaten up, I'm never making anything new lol.

Wed - meatloaf, baked potatoes with whatever they can find to top them off

Thursday - Spaghetti and meatballs

Friday - make your own pizza

Saturday - we're having a party, so dinner will most likely be snacky kinds of stuff.

Sunday - party leftovers

[Cricket]

Last night we had grilled pork (country style ribs on sale for $1/lb) with foil packets of potatoes and vegetables on the grill

Tonight I used some leftover pork for soup (super easy recipe I saw in a magazine: cooked meat--was supposed to be chicken but I only had pork, two cans of chicken broth, half a jar of spaghetti sauce, heated then served over rice or noodles) and coleslaw.

Tomorrow is stir-fry with asparagus I think. I have a pound of asparagus in the fridge. That was only $1/lb this week.

Wednesday is supposed to be leftovers.

Don't know about the rest of the week yet. The grocery ads come out on Wednesdays and I had planned on going shopping Thursday. I was very strict with my budget this past week but the food has lasted much longer than I thought. I planned my entire week including snacks. Some days we didn't eat a snack and some nights we didn't eat as much as I cooked so I have lots of leftovers. I'll try to stretch that out for as long as I can. :)

[gandpsmommy]

Sunday night: Chicken manicotti with alfredo sauce, salad of mixed greens, rolls
Last night: Turkey breast, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls
rest of the week: 1. chicken & noodles, salad, bread
2. ham steaks, scalloped potatoes, brocolli,
& corn muffins
3. homemade chicken noodle soup?, crusty bread

[nuthouse]

Today,
Breakfast: Steal cut oats, toast and oranges
Lunch: PBJ, coleslaw, canned peaches
Dinner: Hot dogs, sauerkraut, dumplings romain salad, apples.

We are on a very tight budget.

[Mrs. Readsalot]

Mon ravioli/eggplant/meatball cassarole DH made and it was outstanding
Tue ham sandwishes ds and I have dentist appointments a 3 so can't cook
Wed Chicken on the grill
Thur Chili
Fri Salmon
Sat/Sun Oven stuffer Roaster (purchased for 88 cents a pound on sale)

[Karenciavo]

Tuesday - Burgers with roasted vegetables
Wednesday - Grilled Jerked Pork Loin with Caribbean Sauce and Mangoes, scalloped potatoes, mixed greens with Raspberry vinaigrette
Thursday - Open faced turkey sandwiches with wild rice medley and whole cranberries.
Friday - Pizza (In honor of Pi Day)
Saturday - eat out
Sunday - ?

MY inlaws are visiting for the weekend and my FIL is very finicky :rolleyes:

[Eleni]

Lentil stew with homemade bread and salad

Three sisters stew and veggies on the side

some pasta dish that has tons of veggies in it

a concoction Im making involving kidney beans, diced tomatoes, garlic, celery, onions and spices that is put over corn bread.

For snacks there are carrots, apples, grapes, yogurt, blueberry muffins made with wheat germ and ww flour, popcorn and pretzels.

Breakfast is oatmeal, pancakes made with wheat germ and ww flour..topped with syrup made out of apple sauce, egg burritos.

Lunch is pb and j on homemade bread, mac and cheese, homemade pizza.

[Alice]

Monday- I worked, dh made spaghetti and plantains.
Tuesday- Pizza with Trader Joe's dough
Wednesday- I work so whatever dh makes. Lots of times he goes over and visits his 88 yr old Dad and they eat there with other family members.
Thursday- Salmon and Stir-Fry Veggies
Friday- ? I'm looking to make something vaguely Irish as we're studying St. Patrick and Ireland this week. But I haven't figured out what yet. (I work on St. Patrick's Day itself).

I usually don't plan the weekend. I've found we do better with figuring it out last minute. Sometimes we go out or sometimes we'll end up with leftovers or omelets or something simple. We like to call it "foraging" in the cupboards and fridge.

Ok, I just read that and it's a fairly unhelpful post for a thread about meal-planning. Sorry about that.

[Jenny in Florida]

Monday (yesterday): Black bean burritos with corn and rice. I topped them with a spicy tomato sauce and baked them, just for a change.

Tuesday: Spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Wednesday: Cold peanut-sesame noodles. (My son has a dance class in the evening, so I eat early with him and need to leave something quick for my husband to grab when he gets home from work.)

Thursday: Baked potatos with assorted toppings. Corn on the cob and glazed carrots on the side.

Friday: Another dance class night, so probably just leftover noodles.

I haven't thought about the weekend yet.

--Jenny

[Old Dominion Heather]

12 Months of Monastery Soups

It makes me want to go and live there.

[Jennifer in MI]

Tonight - rice pasta with chicken-apple sausage and veggies in a chicken broth
Tues. - gingered pork and pineapple on rice (in the slow cooker)
Wed. - tuna loaf, rice, veggies
Thurs. - brown rice risotto with lamb (in the slow cooker)
Fri. - sloppy joes made with ground venison
Sat. - cassoulet-style chicken and sausage (in slow cooker)

Not all of my meals are thrifty since we have multiple food allergies.

Oh Jean! I'd love the gingered pork and pineapple on rice recipe please!!!

Sounds yummy!

[Scarlett]

Monday---Hamburgers on the grill (thanks dh!!) with sauteed mushrooms
and swiss cheese and Fried potatoes.

Tuesday---Island Pork Tenderloin
Baked potatoes
Steamed broccoli
cheese bread
Wednesday--grilled chicken (make extra for fahitas next night)
Rosemary potatoes
brussel sprouts
cheese bread

Thursday Chicken fahitas

Friday---eat out!!!!!

I'll have leftover tenderloin which I will send to work with dh or chop up and freeze for sandwiches next week.

[Pajama Mama]

Tonight:leftovers
Wed:maybe a roast in the crockpot so we can eat whenever(son is testing for karate)
Thurs:Steak on grill(yeah! Angel Food Ministries!),baked potatoes,broccoli
Fri:Since it's Lent we usually pick up Fish dinners from the local church that does fish-fry Fridays
Sat:maybe grilled chicken, wild rice,veggie
Sunday:not sure yet--either pizza or pasta
Monday:corned beef and cabbage for St Patty's Day, potatoes

The only reason I can afford the meats is because we buy from Angel Food Ministries. I prefer real fish for Fridays but the kids only like fish sticks. Since I despise fish sticks, we order the fish. Thank heavens Lent is only a couple more weeks:rolleyes:

[Claire]

We don't do weekly menus anymore because it seems as if something always changes early on and everything gets turned around. Plus, my dh likes to cook and we have very different cooking styles, so he leaves me to my nights and I leave him to his. :)

Having said that, Black Bean Tortilla Casserole (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Black-Bean-Tortilla-Casserole/Detail.aspx) is one of my mainstay recipes. It is hearty, filling, vegetarian, inexpensive and easy to make. (Now you have an idea of my style!) After you've made it once, it's easy to tweak to suit your tastebuds. For example, I use a can of diced tomatoes with mild green chilis to add a little BAM!

Another mainstay of mine is potato and bell pepper soup. This is another one that everyone seems to like, and it's vegetarian. I usually make a loaf of Cuban bread to go with it, or serve it with pita bread. (I will type out the recipe if someone wants it.)

I also have a hamburger soup recipe that is easy to make: hamburger, onions, canned kidney beans, shredded cabbage, broth, a little zuchini if I have it, etc.

We eat steak maybe once a year, but do eat salmon fairly often.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Oh Jean! I'd love the gingered pork and pineapple on rice recipe please!!!


Recipe for Gingered Pork & Pineapple (Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes)

2 lb. boneless pork shoulder
1 tbs. cooking oil
3/4 c. chicken broth
3 tbs. quick-cooking tapioca (the powder)
3 tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbs. oyster sauce (optional)
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 15 1/4 oz. pineapple chunks (juice pack)
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 in. slices (2 cups)
1 large medium, cut into 1 in. pieces
1 8 oz. sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 1/2 c. fresh snow peas or 6 oz. package frozen pea pods

1. Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 1 in. pieces. In a large skillet brown half of the pork at a time in hot oil. Drain off fat. (I don't bother doing this).

2. In slow cooker combine broth, tapioca, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and ginger. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Stir juice into broth mixture; cover and chill pineapple chunks. Add carrots, onion and water chestnuts to cooker. Add pork.

3. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.

4. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Stir pineapple chunks and the fresh or frozen snow peas into cooker. Cover and cook 10 to 15 min. more until peas are crisp-tender. Serve with rice.

[KristineIN]

Monday (yesterday): Black bean burritos with corn and rice. I topped them with a spicy tomato sauce and baked them, just for a change.

Tuesday: Spaghetti with tomato sauce.

Wednesday: Cold peanut-sesame noodles. (My son has a dance class in the evening, so I eat early with him and need to leave something quick for my husband to grab when he gets home from work.)

Thursday: Baked potatos with assorted toppings. Corn on the cob and glazed carrots on the side.

Friday: Another dance class night, so probably just leftover noodles.

I haven't thought about the weekend yet.

--Jenny

Cold peanut-sesame noodles. Can you tell me about these, they sound good.
Thanks,
Kristine

[KristineIN]

Tuesday - Burgers with roasted vegetables
Wednesday - Grilled Jerked Pork Loin with Caribbean Sauce and Mangoes, scalloped potatoes, mixed greens with Raspberry vinaigrette
Thursday - Open faced turkey sandwiches with wild rice medley and whole cranberries.
Friday - Pizza (In honor of Pi Day)
Saturday - eat out
Sunday - ?

MY inlaws are visiting for the weekend and my FIL is very finicky :rolleyes:


Do you have a recipe for this Grilled Jerked Pork Loin with Caribbean Sauce and Mangoes,:D sounds good!
Thanks,
Kristine

[Jenny in Florida]

My husband and I had something similar at a street fair or something a few years ago, and I decided I needed to figure out how to make them. Oh, actually, it might have been at the Food and Wine Festival at Disney World.

Anyway, it's Asian-inspired, although probably about as authentic as those tacos and burritos are Mexican.

Here's the recipe I use.

Sauce:
4 large cloves of garlic
1/2 large onion
3 TBS sugar
2 TBS sesame seeds
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
5 TBS soy sauce
4 TBS peanut butter
3 TBS orange juice
1 TBS vegetable, peanut or sesame oil

Veggies:
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 large onion, diced
Chopped green onions, if desired, for garnish
Orange juice, soy sauce and oil for cooking


Cook 8 oz. of thin spaghetti. Drain the spaghetti and rinse in cool water.
Toss all the sauce ingredients in the blender and blend until it's smooth.
Meanwhile, saute the veggies in a little bit of oil. I start with the onion, then add the celery and carrots once the onion is starting to brown. I add a couple of TBS of orange juice and soy sauce to the saute for more flavor.I put the noodles and veggies together in a large, covered bowl and put them in the 'fridge to chill. The sauce also goes in the 'fridge but is kept separately until you're ready to serve. Then, just mix everything together. Or you can mix each serving on demand, which keeps things fresher.

If you're using the green onions, just sprinkle them on top, along with a few more sesame seeds, if you like, just before serving.

--Jenny

[KristineIN]

My husband and I had something similar at a street fair or something a few years ago, and I decided I needed to figure out how to make them. Oh, actually, it might have been at the Food and Wine Festival at Disney World.

Anyway, it's Asian-inspired, although probably about as authentic as those tacos and burritos are Mexican.

Here's the recipe I use.

Sauce:
4 large cloves of garlic
1/2 large onion
3 TBS sugar
2 TBS sesame seeds
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
1/4 tsp ground ginger
5 TBS soy sauce
4 TBS peanut butter
3 TBS orange juice
1 TBS vegetable, peanut or sesame oil

Veggies:
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 large onion, diced
Chopped green onions, if desired, for garnish
Orange juice, soy sauce and oil for cooking


Cook 8 oz. of thin spaghetti. Drain the spaghetti and rinse in cool water.
Toss all the sauce ingredients in the blender and blend until it's smooth.
Meanwhile, saute the veggies in a little bit of oil. I start with the onion, then add the celery and carrots once the onion is starting to brown. I add a couple of TBS of orange juice and soy sauce to the saute for more flavor.I put the noodles and veggies together in a large, covered bowl and put them in the 'fridge to chill. The sauce also goes in the 'fridge but is kept separately until you're ready to serve. Then, just mix everything together. Or you can mix each serving on demand, which keeps things fresher.

If you're using the green onions, just sprinkle them on top, along with a few more sesame seeds, if you like, just before serving.

--Jenny

Thanks, these sound great!
Kristine

[Shelly in MD]

I love these recipes! This is one of my most used cookbooks. Even the simple ones are great - I love the one which is basically chicken broth and shredded carrots; who knew that could be so good?!

Shelly