Summer Meal Planning Thread with budget saving ideas!

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I for one, can not seem to get it together if I don't write my weekly meal plans down, so I am going to start a new thread here, and hopefully a few will join along. I am working out my pantry and freezer, and will most likely make trips to the farmers market for fresh produce, small trips to the grocery store for weekly necessities, and one more large trip to Sam's Club for snacks for the kids.

Holiday weekends are always hard for me, but I am happy to say I am putting it down on paper and sticking with it!

Friday: Sloppy Joes with french fries and salad
Saturday: Dinner at Mom's for the 4th of July
Sunday: Steak, red potatoes, zucchini casserole, and red,white,blue trifle for dessert
Monday: Pizza night (dd works at a pizzza place, she will bring a cheese pizza home and we will add veggies, whatever leftovers we have.

I usually do Monday through Sunday, so I will be back with a new menu for the week on Monday and with any recipes or ideas that come along with the thread if it takes off.

Have a great 4th. everyone!!

 

[Piecey]

I sorta do this. I inventoried my basement freezer awhile back but then I lost my list I go down once a week and pull enough for the upstairs freezer to get us through a week and base meals off what I pulled.

Tonight we're having BLTs, french fries, cut up watermelon and cantaloupe. There is a little bit of leftover salad.
Tomorrow- I'm making baked spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and brownies to take to my MIL's for our "4th" celebration..
Sunday- All day @ my parent's house for the 4th.
Monday- Dinner and a movie out, we got a babysitter!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I sorta do this. I inventoried my basement freezer awhile back but then I lost my list I go down once a week and pull enough for the upstairs freezer to get us through a week and base meals off what I pulled.

Tonight we're having BLTs, french fries, cut up watermelon and cantaloupe. There is a little bit of leftover salad.
Tomorrow- I'm making baked spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and brownies to take to my MIL's for our "4th" celebration..
Sunday- All day @ my parent's house for the 4th.
Monday- Dinner and a movie out, we got a babysitter!

Question on baked spaghetti: Does it cook long and does it warm the house up a lot. That is my major problem with getting meals planned and everyone eating. Some days it is so warm/hot and we do not have A/C. Can you bake it early, then just do a reheat?

 

[Piecey]

I cook the spaghetti on the stove first, actually. I just put it in the oven for the flavors to mix (I put pepperoni in it, sometimes green peppers when I'm not fearful of the heartburn!) and let the cheese melt and then serve. So it doesn't have to be in there very long at all!

I generally make it ahead of time and then just stick it in the oven when we're about ready to eat. My MIL lives about an hour from here and since I'm cooking the whole meal, I wanted something that traveled easy. She doesn't have a grill and has a small kitchen so stuff I can make and take is easiest. This meal fits all our needs!

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Love this thread!! I'm subscribing

The baked spaghetti sounds like it might be my mom's spaghetti pie?? Is it made with ricotta cheese?

Fri - homemade pizza, salad, broccoli and I have to use up 2 salmon steaks that we didn't cook yesterday.

Sat - I have a corned beef in the freezer, might make that with cabbage and potatoes

Sun - supposed to have inlaws over if I ever find out their answer
We'll have a BBQ, burgers, hot dogs, chicken drumsticks found them for $0.88 lb!, maybe ribs,
watermelon, cold pasta salad

Mon - hopefully leftovers from BBQ

 

[lovemygoofy]

Question on baked spaghetti: Does it cook long and does it warm the house up a lot. That is my major problem with getting meals planned and everyone eating. Some days it is so warm/hot and we do not have A/C. Can you bake it early, then just do a reheat?

I'm originally from Arkansas where it goes super hot. My mama cooked dinner first thing in the morning or the major cooking for the meal first thing in the morning. She also cooked in her crockpot 2-3x a week.

My menu for this weekend is pretty much nothing as we have people coming and going all weekend long.

 

[Piecey]

Nope. It's just something I threw together a few years ago.. I call it baked spaghetti because I don't know what else to call it. haha.
I put sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan, put a layer of pepperoni, a layer of mozzarella and parmesean cheese, then I put pepperoni around the sides of the pan, put about a 1/2 the spaghetti in, stick pieces of pepperoni down inside the spaghetti I just poured in, layer of sauce, layer of cheeses, repeat with the spaghetti/pepperoni and top with the rest of the sauce, cheese and pepperoni as a "crust".

 

[Swimnoid]

Love, love, love baked spaghetti! DH, though, has a twist on it. He cooks the spaghetti, then dumps the sauce, the pasta and whatever else he wants in the electric frying pan. Sprinkles cheese on the top, covers it and puts the heat on low to let the cheese melt and the flavors to meld. Its really good and doesn't heat up the kitchen like the oven does.

I have a lot to choose from for our weekend menu. Chicken and steak were on sale and they had a good price for ground beef as well. So, in some order we will have:

grilled chicken (grilling extra for sandwiches and chicken salad for lunches), not sure about sides, maybe salad, maybe rice, maybe ranch potatoes

steak and pierogies and salad

burgers, corn on the cobb

italian sausage hoagies

I'm also making a blueberry/apple pie

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Nope. It's just something I threw together a few years ago.. I call it baked spaghetti because I don't know what else to call it. haha.
I put sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan, put a layer of pepperoni, a layer of mozzarella and parmesean cheese, then I put pepperoni around the sides of the pan, put about a 1/2 the spaghetti in, stick pieces of pepperoni down inside the spaghetti I just poured in, layer of sauce, layer of cheeses, repeat with the spaghetti/pepperoni and top with the rest of the sauce, cheese and pepperoni as a "crust".

That is going to be on next week's menu. If the weather is going to get really warm, I will cook early and reheat. It sounds wonderful. I would just have to get some pepperoni. I can't keep it in the house, because I am addicted to it and I am trying to lose some weight for our trip.

Do you buy a stick of pepperoni, or pre-sliced. I know they cook up different. And to keep on point, their is a price difference.. LOL

 

[Piecey]

That is going to be on next week's menu. If the weather is going to get really warm, I will cook early and reheat. It sounds wonderful. I would just have to get some pepperoni. I can't keep it in the house, because I am addicted to it and I am trying to lose some weight for our trip.

Do you buy a stick of pepperoni, or pre-sliced. I know they cook up different. And to keep on point, their is a price difference.. LOL

I generally use Hormel. I buy the big bags at Sams. I eat pepperoni like crazy, too! I cut up a salad and eat it in there for my lunch all the time. I make DH pepperoni rolls for lunch, pizza for dinner all the time, calzones... the bags from Sams don't last long, even though they're huge!

This time around I have Armour Italian Style pepperoni- I've never tried it before, so I'm hoping it is good stuff. It was 10/$10 at Kroger and our Sams membership is currently expired so I thought I'd give it a try... Hopefully it works out.

 

[semo233]

I use my crockpot a lot in the summer because I can set it out on the deck and turn it on.
I also have a portable oven (about $35) that I can set out there.

Tonight: Marinated london broil steak ($3.50)
Corn on the cob (17 cents each)
Mac and Cheese (made for party tomorrow, saved some for 2night!)
Tomato and Basil Salad (basil, free, tomatoes $1.00)

Tomorrow: Niece's Birthday party at our pool, sister bringing hot dogs and burgers and other food, plus my mac and cheese (leftover cheese in fridge plus $2.99 American cheese and two boxes of pasta $2.00)

That's as far as I've gotten! Maybe tacos for sunday....

 

[rileyreese]

I am jumping on this too! Tonight we are having hamburger steaks, I am getting ready to go see what all I can throw in the now, along with fries and Mac and cheese. We are cooking out with family all weekend so no more cooking for me and we are heading to church camp Monday so I will be back next week!

 

[Piecey]

Should we try to include prices with our meals?
Baked Spaghetti ran us this...
2 cans Hunt's sauce: $2
1lb Creamette Spaghetti: .49c
1 bag Kraft Mozzarella: .49c
2 packs Armor Pepperoni: $2
loaf of bakery garlic bread: $2
Betty Crocker brownie mix: $1
I have no idea of the approx. cost of the parmesean I put in it, though. So about $8 and it fed my MIL, DH's great-aunt, DH, myself & DS1 on Saturday. MIL and great-aunt kept leftovers and DH and I brought home enough to eat for dinner tonight. I'll pair it with half a loaf of garlic bread from the freezer ($1, I buy the $2 loaves of Cole's and cut them in half for us) and steam DH some broccoli (.25c). Voila!

I'm going to try to come up with some good ground beef recipes for the week and the freezer, the local store has it for $1.49/lb this week. I'll probably end up making some homemade spaghetti sauce and freezing it since the beef is so cheap!!

 

[njcarita]

I also have a portable oven (about $35) that I can set out there.

.

question... what is a portable oven... how does it work.... My regular oven stopped working Memorial Day and I don't want to replace till I'm really to start redoing kitchen but that won't be till some time next year...

 

[fakereadhed]

question... what is a portable oven... how does it work.... My regular oven stopped working Memorial Day and I don't want to replace till I'm really to start redoing kitchen but that won't be till some time next year...

You can also use a turkey roaster as an oven outside. I've baked cookies and bread outside. I also use my rice cooker for pasta on the bottom and steam corn on the cob in the top layer. With those and a microwave you can make just about anything!

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Today - black beans & rice http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Classic-Black-Beans-and-Rice-46221
watermelon and leftover corn on the cob
Wed - pork roast I have in the freezer, broccoli, salad
Thurs - DD12 and I are going to have a lentils cookoff
Fri - homemade pizza, salad

 

[lisam427]

yesterday we had goulash. leftovers are for today and tomorrows lunches.
tonight we had pita pizzas and a salad. used leftover spaghetti sauce.
wed-breakfast for dinner and fruit
thursday-pork chops, mashed potatoes, veg from freezer
friday-baked chicken legs, rice, veg from freezer
saturday-spaghetti and italian sausage, salad
sunday-salsburry steak, mashed potatoes, veg from freezer.

this past week i spent $50 in groceries. my goal is to spend as little as possible this month. usually grocery budget is $200.00 a month. if i can spend less that would be a bonus.

 

[Piecey]

Tomorrow: Steak ($4.50) on the grill that I froze in some teriyaki marinade (half the bottle, so .50c), baked potatoes and salad ($3-ish, with all the fixings probably?).
Thursday: Tacos, refried beans, chips and salsa.
Friday: Meatloaf, garlic green beans ($2, farmer's market!) and mashed potatoes.
Saturday: Out and about/leftovers if we're home and hungry.

I'll buy a 3lb-ish family package of the $1.49/lb ground beef at the store when I go and use 1 for the tacos and the rest for the meatloaf.
I've spent $26 on groceries so far for July...

 

[charming23]

I'm in. I love being able to see other people's ideas as to what to have for the week.

I went grocery shopping today and spent $61.16. It is a little higher than normal but we were out of town this past weekend and last week we did not buy much.

The menu is:

Tonight: Sandwhiches and leftover potato salad
Wednesday: Roast Chicken with fried potatoes and sauteed green and yellow squash
Thursday: Pizza bagels with salad
Friday: Baked Macaroni and cheese
Saturday: London broil with corn bread pudding and fruit
Sunday: Chicken enchilladas with spanish rice (using the leftovers from the roast chicken)
Monday: Pork stirfry with veggies over rice

 

[eatatmidnight]

Great thread

Tonight: Roasted Chicken, Garlicy Green Beans, Corn, watermelon, marinated cucumbers and homemade chocolate ice cream

Wednesday: Lasagna (from freezer), Italian Salad (St Louis style) and bread

Thursday: Rosemary Pork Roast, Roasted potatoes, garden salad and fruit trifle

Fri-Sun: travel

Monday: Hamburger Bar, homemade onion rings, Strawberry Poppy seed salad

Tuesday: Creamy Tortellini, Mandarin Salad, bread, Homemade peach ice cream

I will add some "in season" fruit and veggies depending on what is available this week.