Eat at home

[rhax07]

We've done the same thing recently. We realized that we spend far too much money eating out so we've began by shopping for a couple days at a time. If we can, we shop for an entire week and we always ensure we're NOT hungry when we go shopping. We also purchase meals from Schwan's, so that helps. Our sample weekly menu includes:

Mon: Tacos
Tue: Spaghetti w/ sauce & garlic bread
Wed: Mashed Potatoes/Biscuits covered with chipped-beef gravy (Schwan's)
Thu: Chicken breasts, veggies, noodle side
Fri: Baked pork rolled in egg and cracker crumbs, veggies
Sat: steak, mashed potatoes, veggies
Sun: Hot dogs w/ beans

It isn't all-inclusive, but it sure saves a lot if you get frozen chicken breasts from the store and deep freeze 'em. We also shop at Sam's Club for the bulk type items.

 

[jsmla]

DS and DDIL came over for dinner last night and we splurged a bit. Our local grocery had porterhouse steaks on sale for $5.99/lb. Hubby grilled the steaks and I made baked beans (DS's favorite) and linguine with bordelaise sauce. DDIL is a VERY picky eater and only had steak and plain pasta. I only had the linguine.

I went through the freezer and pantry this morning and came up with this weeks menu.

Sunday
Split pea soup with ham (Ham leftover from Christmas from the freezer)
Italian bread
Cantaloupe

Monday
Pot roast
Potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Biscuits

Tuesday
Meatball po-boys
Home fries
Cantaloupe

Wednesday
Shrimp Creole over pasta
Green salad with homemade croutons and ranch dressing
Garlic bread

Thursday
Red beans with andouille
Rice
Mustard greens
Cornbread


Friday


Turkey chili
Spinach salad with pecans apples and raspberry vinagrette
Cornbread


Saturday
TBD

Friday is DD's birthday. We may go over to see her at school on Saturday.

I need to buy spinach, salad greens (It's been so chilly that my garden has really slowed down), a tomato and green peppers. We already have everything else on hand.


Jennifer

 

[tinkmom2]

Today is Weight Watchers Veggie soup and chicken taco salad for dinner.

http://tinkmomfoodie-foodobsession.blogspot.com/

 

[Darcy03231]

Sunday - Roast pork w/gravy, rice, broccoli
Monday - Roast beef w/gravy, baked potatoes, green beans
Tuesday - Cheese steak sandwiches made with the leftover roast beef and salad
Wednesday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Thursday - Mexican Chicken
Friday - Salmon, rice and mixed veggi stir fry
Saturday - Hot dogs, mac n' cheese and salad

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

DS and DDIL came over for dinner last night and we splurged a bit. Our local grocery had porterhouse steaks on sale for $5.99/lb. Hubby grilled the steaks and I made baked beans (DS's favorite) and linguine with bordelaise sauce. DDIL is a VERY picky eater and only had steak and plain pasta. I only had the linguine.

I went through the freezer and pantry this morning and came up with this weeks menu.

Sunday
Split pea soup with ham (Ham leftover from Christmas from the freezer)
Italian bread
Cantaloupe

Monday
Pot roast
Potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Biscuits

Tuesday
Meatball po-boys
Home fries
Cantaloupe

Wednesday
Shrimp Creole over pasta
Green salad with homemade croutons and ranch dressing
Garlic bread

Thursday
Red beans with andouille
Rice
Mustard greens
Cornbread


Friday


Turkey chili
Spinach salad with pecans apples and raspberry vinagrette
Cornbread


Saturday
TBD

Friday is DD's birthday. We may go over to see her at school on Saturday.

I need to buy spinach, salad greens (It's been so chilly that my garden has really slowed down), a tomato and green peppers. We already have everything else on hand.


Jennifer

Would you mind sharing your shrimp creole over pasta recipe? please.
That would so yummy! And I've been trying to add shrimp to our menu planning. Thanks

 

[threecrazykids]

I'm sticking to my guns! We were invited to some friends house to order out pizza and play cards this weekend and I offered to make tacos for everyone instead of spending the money on ordering out! I had everything on hand so it worked out well!

Doing really good so far, only had lunch out 1 day in the last 2 weeks and that was for a team outing- which is great for me, because lunches are typically where I get tripped up.

I did my shopping this last weekend and I'm hoping this will get us through the next 2 weeks with only 1 quick pick up of milk and maybe some fresh fruit.

This weeks menu:
Today: Panera Potato Cream Cheese Soup
Monday: Chicken Cordon Bleu/Rice/Asparagus
Tuesday: Sesame Noodles with Shrimp and Egg Rolls
Wednesday: FFY - kids will eat at religion
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner
Friday: Sloppy Joes/homemade fries
Saturday: Chicken Thighs/Corn or Steamed Carrots/Couscous
Sunday: Beef Stroganoff/Buttered Noodles/Green Beans

 

[bigmama67]

Well, DH had to hook up a new router the other night and closed my menu for the month but I restored it pretty well from memory! Here's what we are having:

Sunday (tonight): turkey shepherd's pie
Monday: pasta (we make 2 boxes, 1 with tomato sauce and one with butter/cheese but tomorrow night I'm making pesto for the second one instead)
Tuesday: chicken parmesan (we call it "pizza chicken")
Wednesday: turkey burgers
Thursday: potstickers
Friday: Rotisserie chicken from Costco, YUM!
Saturday: Breakfast for dinner - pumpkin pancakes and blueberry waffles
(we always do breakfast for dinner on Saturday nights!)

I hardly have to buy any more groceries - grated cheese, hamburger buns, coffee, stuff like that, and we're good for the week! I am LIKING this pre-planning.

 

[charming23]

Well yesterday our oven malfunctioned. I went to turn it on to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast and kept getting an F3 warning. So called my godfather who repairs appliances and turns out it is the sensor. It is a fairly cheap fix, much cheaper than a new oven, and the part should be here next week. We do have a nice toaster oven and of course the stove still works so I just need to adjust my menu a little.

I was proud yesterday that I did not retreat and order take out. Instead mom had some srimp scampi we had in the freezer and I had crescent pizza pockets with spinach salad.

Tonight we are going over to my Grandma's for dinner.

Other menu ideas for the week are
Ham with baked mac and cheese
chicken enchiladas with spanish rice
shepard's pie
balsamic glazed chicken with lemon risotto
pork souvlaki with spanakopita orzo salad and cucumber yogurt sauce

I have almost everything I need in the house except the cucumbers, orange maramalade for the chicken and feta cheese. I will also need to get milk, bread and fresh fruit but it should be a low grocery bill as I did my big shopping last week and have lots of frozen veggies.

 

[stacy347]

Stuck to last week's menu, thankfully!

This week:

Parmesan crusted chicken, southern hash browns, veg
Pork chops, gravy, mashed potatoes, veg
Breakfast for dinner, biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, fruit
Chicken rice casserole, veg
Cheesy hamburger hashbrowns, veg
Taco Soup
Onion burgers, potatoes, veg

I'm not listing specific vegetables because I usually don't decide till the last minute.

 

[figment3258]

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Ours was good but thanks to last night's playoff loss we almost had to buy anew tv husband gets a little To into football. Anyways back in track I am going food shopping today will post later

Tonight spaghetti and sauce

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Stuck to last week's menu, thankfully!

This week:

Parmesan crusted chicken, southern hash browns, veg
Pork chops, gravy, mashed potatoes, veg
Breakfast for dinner, biscuits, sausage gravy, eggs, fruit
Chicken rice casserole, veg
Cheesy hamburger hashbrowns, veg
Taco Soup
Onion burgers, potatoes, veg

I'm not listing specific vegetables because I usually don't decide till the last minute.

Would you please share your parmesan crusted chicken recipe

 

[lillygator]

ok got my menu together....
looks like some are repeats but they really aren't, some I've posted I haven't gotten around to cooking!!

saturday ~ crockpot lasagna, salad, bread
sunday ~ crockpot pepperonci sands, cole slaw, pasta salad
monday ~ ribs, rice, veggie
tuesday ~ tomato soup, grilled cheese, salad
wednesday ~ smoky chipotle chicken tacos, mexican rice, beans
thursday ~ scalloped chicken, veggie, salad
friday ~ shrimp stir fry, rice

here's to the new week!

so far so good.....
had the crockpot chicken lasagna saturday - delish, yesterday had the sands but also out to dinner thanks to my dad!!! so got a nice meal out, spent time ith family and no money spent.

ribs are in the crockpot for tonight and plenty of leftovers!!

 

[nikkistevej]

Well the weekend was shot for eating out as my bday was yesterday- and we were living it up. But back on track today

Monday- Italian sausage rigatoni(found this recipe in a magazine from a Johnsonville italian sausage ad), garden salad
Tuesday- beef stew (Mccormick crock pot package)
Wednesday- hot dogs, some veggie, mac & cheese
Thursday- tilapia, cauliflower, another veggie, something else???
Friday- Boston Market(we have been wanting to go for a while and have a $4 off coupon)

 

[jsmla]

Would you mind sharing your shrimp creole over pasta recipe? please.
That would so yummy! And I've been trying to add shrimp to our menu planning. Thanks

Hi Fran!

I make a big batch of sauce and freeze it, then I can add whatever protein (We like shrimp or chicken) on the day I serve it. My sauce recipe is from River Road Recipes II by the Baton Rouge Junior League.

1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oil (The cookbook calls for bacon fat, I use canola oil.)
3 c. chopped onion
2 c. chopped green onion
2 c. chopped celery w/leaves
2 c. chopped bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced (Cookbook calls for 4)
2 6 oz. cans tomato paste
2 16 oz. cans diced tomatoes w/liquid
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce

Salt, pepper, red pepper, tobasco to taste
4 bay leaves
2 t. sugar
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. lemon juice

-Make a dark roux with flour and oil
-Add onions, green onions, celery, and bell pepper, saute till limp (20 minutes)
-Add garlic and saute till fragrant (3-4 minutes)
-Add tomato paste and blend with veggies.
-Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, red pepper, tabasco sauce, bay leaves, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.
-Simmer on medium low for one hour, adding water (1-2 cups) as sauce thickens. You have to keep an eye on it because the sauce will scorch.

This makes enough sauce for four or five meals for our family of four and it freezes really well. For dinner I add chicken or shrimp to a bag of thawed sauce and simmer till the proteins are cooked through. If I have parsley I'll add that too.

We usually have creole over rice but I'm planning to use it on some leftover linguinie.


Jennifer

 

[stacy347]

Would you please share your parmesan crusted chicken recipe

Sure!

1/2 c. grated parmesan
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Approx. 2 lbs. boneless chicken

I like to cut the chicken into even strips for more even cooking.

Mix the 3 dry ingredients together, moisten chicken, coat with mix.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.

It's not a crispy crust, but it is really tasty!

 

[hmack]

confession time:

first, last night we got a large $10 Pizza Hut pizza, I don't feel too badly about that. I had planned for it and it worked out well. Order it with 8 minutes to go in the second quarter. 8 football minutes = about 15 real minutes. So it was ready to get picked up at half time. No football was missed.


But my real "sin" was that I didn't go to the store to pick up my weekly supplies. I did go on Saturday to grab a few things for dinner (pulled-pork sandwiches with fresh fruit and some chips) and some milk and that was it.

So here it is Monday and I think if you opened one of my kitchen cabinets and said "hello" you would hear an echo. Tonight is pretty much taken care of as it is my dd's birthday (16!) and her gramma is making her a special dinner I just have to bring a tossed salad.

So - tomorrow I need to hit the store and at least get us enough to get by until Friday and then start this up again.

I just feel totally disorganized. But next time I post on this thread I will have a plan AND follow-through with it.

 

[LilyWDW]

Well yesterday our oven malfunctioned. I went to turn it on to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast and kept getting an F3 warning. So called my godfather who repairs appliances and turns out it is the sensor. It is a fairly cheap fix, much cheaper than a new oven, and the part should be here next week. We do have a nice toaster oven and of course the stove still works so I just need to adjust my menu a little.

I was proud yesterday that I did not retreat and order take out. Instead mom had some srimp scampi we had in the freezer and I had crescent pizza pockets with spinach salad.

Tonight we are going over to my Grandma's for dinner.

Other menu ideas for the week are
Ham with baked mac and cheese
chicken enchiladas with spanish rice
shepard's pie
balsamic glazed chicken with lemon risotto
pork souvlaki with spanakopita orzo salad and cucumber yogurt sauce

I have almost everything I need in the house except the cucumbers, orange maramalade for the chicken and feta cheese. I will also need to get milk, bread and fresh fruit but it should be a low grocery bill as I did my big shopping last week and have lots of frozen veggies.

Hey Charming23...

Could you post the recipe for balsamic glazed chicken? Sounds really good!

Thanks!

 

[momx2]

Sunday: Chicken thighs w/onion, tomatoes and mushrooms over rice and peas
Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans;
Tuesday: Kids= pork fried rice and dumplings and Parents= pork stir fry;
Wednesday: Some sort of fish, rice pilaf and salad;
Thursday: Roast with veggies in crockpot;
Friday: Kids= pizza and Parents= left over roast and veggies over egg noodles

Ok, so far I haven't gone by this menu at all because I wrote it out before I went to the grocery today. So here is my new, improved and longer menu for the rest of the month:

Sunday: Beef Stroganoff w/fresh mushrooms over egg noodles and peas;
Monday: Hamburgers, baked beans and fries;
Tuesday: Kids=pork fried rice and dumplings; Parents=pork stirfry;
Wednesday: Roast, carrots and mashed potatoes;
Thursday: Mahi Mahi, rice pilaf and salad;
Friday: Baked Pasta and ceasar salad;
Saturday: Sleepover=Pizza; Parents=Potato bar;
Sunday: Fish, rice pilaf and mixed veggies;
Monday: Chicken and white bean casserole in crockpot;
Tuesday: Grilled Rosemary-balsamic chicken, rice and salad;
Wednesday: Pork roast, mashed potatoes and green beans;
Thursday: Skillet chicken and rice with peas;
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Probably eat out to end the month and celebrate pay day!

 

[jsmla]

Found a kink in my menu planning.

The last time I did any sort of regular cooking the kids were still at home and I was also feeding my inlaws. Now that it's just the two of us I'm going to have to change something.

Hubby and I really don't like the same sort of things. Last night was pot roast. Hubby was beyond thrilled but I thought it was kind of meh. Now I have at least two more meals worth of roast in the freezer and I'm not exactly thrilled about that. Tonight is supposed to be meatball po-boys and I'm all beefed out. I'd change it but the meatballs are already thawed.

Back in the day I could fix a variety of things and there were plenty of people to eat it all. Now if I make broccoli, green beans,squash, zucchini or any sort of greens I'll be making it just for me and I'm not really motivated to do that. So far the veggies have been and endless parade of the very few hubby will eat and I'm getting sick of carrots! If I make beef dishes there's going to be a pile of it leftover.

At any rate, we've stuck to the menu so far. No eating out since we started


Jennifer

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We are trying to stay on track. We just added another tentative WDW trip with all 5 kids to celebrate a birthday during Star Wars Weekends so we have to save up for that!

Here are our meal plans for the week:

Steak, baked potatoes, grilled zucchini
Hot pastrami sandwiches & salads
Baked Ziti
Crockpot Beef Stew over rice
Shrimp skewers & grilled veggies
Homemade Chili
Fend for yourself night - Kids will make Hamburger Helper and DH and I will have sandwiches, soup or cereal.