Summer Meal Planning Thread with budget saving ideas!

[semo233]

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...

Here's a link to one
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Nesco-18-Qt.-Roaster-Oven-With-Porcelain-Cookwell-White/12337727

Proctor Silex and Hamilton Beach also have their own models.

They come in several sizes and you can put a pan of brownies or a roast in it. When my mother brings the Thanksgiving turkey to my house, she cooks it in one of these (there is a removable cookwell, no pan needed) and transports the entire oven!

I saw them for sale for $37 on clearance at WalMart at one time. You might even be able to find one on craigslist or ebay.
In the meantime, Check out crockpot365.blogspot.com if you have a crockpot. She has a ton of recipes, some even are cooked in a pan in the crockpot.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

awesome thread. I am always looking for ideas.

tonight ; fenfoyosef. (fend for yourself.) I had salsa and chips, steven had sandwiches. dd15 is at camp, dd10 is at a friends house

wednesday: chicken tortellini with pesto, garlic bread, salad

thursday: steak, baked potatoes, leftover salad

friday: grilled chicken, (grill enough for tommorow too) rice and beans, cucumbers and sliced tomato from the garden.

saturday: chicken quesadillas, guacamole salad

Sunday: grilled porkchops, corn on the cob, brown rice with gravy

Monday: Sausage with saurkraut, potato salad, sliced tomato

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I so much dislike the heat: I even forgot to come back to my own thread...

Monday: taco's and fruit salad
Tuesday: Specialty hamburgers on the grill, cottage cheese/pears
Wednesday: Hot Dogs on the grill, watermelon, pasta salad
Thursday: Grilled Chicken on the grill, whatever I can find to have that does NOT require heating the house...

Finally heat wave is suppose to end on....

Friday: Pepper Steak (crockpot), brown rice, and homemade applesauce.

Okay, now that I posted, going back to read responses! P.S. it's 11:02pm and my thermastat reads 85!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

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

Please elaborate on the lentil cookoff. I bought a huge bag a while back, and always have these great plans on using them, and there they sit. Time to get them off the shelf and into a pot!

And I will be making that baked spaghetti, but I have to wait til the heat wave passes. I get light-heated using the toaster for my English Muffin in the morning!

 

[fakereadhed]

I made Oatmeal cookies in the waffle maker tonight for dessert and put vanilla hazelnut icecream on top. Made that in the icecream maker with a variation from this DISers site:
http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/06/homemade-coffee-ice-cream.html
Instead of the coffee I used 1 tsp vanilla and 2 T hazelnut coffee flavoring syrup. (Don't use anything with propolyne glycol or it won't harden.)

It was yummy, cheap, and didn't heat up the kitchen!

I've made corn bread and muffins in the waffle maker also. Just takes a couple minutes.

I've jokingly called the muffins "wuffins" so I guess these were "wookies"

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I made Oatmeal cookies in the waffle maker tonight for dessert and put vanilla hazelnut icecream on top. Made that in the icecream maker with a variation from this DISers site:
http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/06/homemade-coffee-ice-cream.html
Instead of the coffee I used 1 tsp vanilla and 2 T hazelnut coffee flavoring syrup. (Don't use anything with propolyne glycol or it won't harden.)

It was yummy, cheap, and didn't heat up the kitchen!

I've made corn bread and muffins in the waffle maker also. Just takes a couple minutes.

I've jokingly called the muffins "wuffins" so I guess these were "wookies"

I find the creativity of a heat wave, power outage, and or tropical/snow storm absolutely amazing.

I think I need to get me a waffle iron and have DH move an outlet close to the back door.

Wuffins and Wookies conjure up pictures of Star Wars in my head, especially the bar scene!

 

[dizneychik]

I am subbing. I love to find out what others are making! I only cook for DD's as DH and I are on NutriSystem but I am always looking for ideas for the girls!

 

[averysmom]

Tonight - pulled pork sandwiches (crock pot) with pasta salad

Thursday - salmon and veggies on the BBQ, leftover pasta salad, naan bread.

Friday - BBQ chicken drumsticks, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and strawberry pavlova (going strawberry picking, as long as it doesn't rain)

Saturday - out to a friends

Sunday - Beer Can chicken, cheesy hashbrown casserole, salad, strawberry shortcake

Monday - club sandwiches using leftover chicken, leftover hashbrown casserole, leftover salad.

Tuesday - new week, new menu

 

[Piecey]

And I will be making that baked spaghetti, but I have to wait til the heat wave passes. I get light-heated using the toaster for my English Muffin in the morning!

Do you have an outlet outside? My DH thinks I am insane but we lost power one night and I really, really, really wanted waffles. I took the toaster to the Jeep (which has an outlet in the center console) and made my waffles. He laughed at me from the porch the entire time. I thought he was going to die.

 

[momoflizandains]

Great thread!

 

[semo233]

97 degrees so far today...

Salad with leftover sliced steak, as many veggies as I can find and some cooked tortellini.

 

[stacy347]

I made Oatmeal cookies in the waffle maker tonight for dessert and put vanilla hazelnut icecream on top. Made that in the icecream maker with a variation from this DISers site:
http://eatathomecooks.com/2009/06/homemade-coffee-ice-cream.html
Instead of the coffee I used 1 tsp vanilla and 2 T hazelnut coffee flavoring syrup. (Don't use anything with propolyne glycol or it won't harden.)

It was yummy, cheap, and didn't heat up the kitchen!

I've made corn bread and muffins in the waffle maker also. Just takes a couple minutes.

I've jokingly called the muffins "wuffins" so I guess these were "wookies"

This makes me want to get out my cookie recipes and play with my waffle maker!

I try to keep my dinners under $10 total which is not easy with 6 of us eating ~ not to mention that the price of meat is ridiculous here.

So far, this week:

Sun ~ BBQ ribs (Mom bought), hot dogs, hashbrown casserole, corn on the cob and a berry brownie dessert (probably about $15 out of my pocket altogether which is not bad for a holiday dinner)

Mon ~ leftovers (no extra $$)

Tues ~ Sloppy Joes, mac & cheese and leftover berries and/or salads (about $5 total)

Wed ~ Grilled chicken salads (total for this will be around $10)

Thurs ~ Chicken Parmesan (around $8 for everything including homemade garlic bread ~ will be feeding 9 people this day so $8 makes me really happy!)

Fri ~ Enchiladas ($7.50 total)

Sat ~ Chicken Manicotti ($7.50 total)

 

[fakereadhed]

Tonight-
1 jar pasta sauce($2)
and
1 bag of turkey meatballs($2)
in the crockpot

served over
penne pasta($1)
made in the ricecooker

served with Alessi breadsticks($2)
no cooking

and a salad from the garden.

It's still in the 80's and crazy humid and we are still melting in our own home!

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Great thread!

Here is mine for the week:

Fri. Grilled Chicken Breast $7, corn on the cob $3, Salad $3
Sat. Grilled Brats $3 Chips $2.50 Strawberry (still need to get) $2.50
Sun. Easy Chicken Parmesan (using left over spaghetti and chicken patties) $3
Mon. Chicken tacos using left over grilled chicken $3
Tues. Eggs and Bacon $6
Wed. Grilled cheese sandwiches, peaches, broccoli $5
Thurs. Italian Beef in crock pot $8

I like getting some new ideas! I hate having the oven on in the summer when it is hot. We grill a lot on the weekend and use the left overs during the week.

 

[Piecey]

Fine-tuning my meal plan a little bit.

Tonight: Meatloaf ($5 for meat & seasoning), garlic green beans ($2), mashed potatoes ($1), french baguette from the bakery ($1) so $9 total. I always form 2 loaves, we'll only eat 1/night.

Tomorrow: we'll both be out and about for lunch, so dinner is: Hamburgers ($1.50 for the ground beef, buns were FREE just dropped off by a friend whose dad drives a truck and gave her a bunch), chips (she gave me chips, too!) and can of Busch's grilling beans ($1).

Sunday: The other meatloaf, leftover green beans, make more mashed potatoes ($1).

Monday: I'm going out of town, DH gets his braces off this day so I figure he'll go to Buffalo Wild Wings and partake of wings... with bones.

Tuesday: Ribeye steak from freezer ($5), corn on the cob (DH will be so excited!) from the farmer's market that morning (~$1), baked potatoes (.50c).

Wednesday: Chicken ($2), veggie from freezer ($1), pasta or rice side from pantry ($1).

 

[charming23]

So I am fine tuning my menu for the end of this week and next week. I am headed to a concert tonight with my mom. my besft friend and her mom. Her mom just called and said she wanted to treat to dinner since we had gotten the tickets. So I am juggling a little. So...

Tonight: Out to dinner at Bearden's for burgers and shakes
Tomorrow: London broil with corn bread pudding and sliced watermelon ($12 total because the meat was on sale)
Sunday: Baked macaroni and cheese over at my grandma's ($5 total) she is providing fruit
Monday: Chicken enchilladas with Spanish rice (using left over chicken from our roasted chicken on wednesday so about $8 total)
Tuesday: Cincinnati Chili over spaghetti with salad ($12 total but we make enough to freeze for a few more meals)
Wednesday: Chicken cutlets with lemon sauce over rice with grilled corn and salad ($15 but we are serving 5 instead of our normal two)
Thursday: Pulled Chicken Sandwhiches with sweet potato fries ($7 total)
Friday: Shepard's Pie ($8 total)

I am going to look at the sales flyer for the rest of the week

 

[maggieusa]

Bump to the first page I love this thread

Today I am going to plan my meals for the week.

 

[kjs1976]

I will make a box of organic mac and cheese I got on sale or use some small pasta we have with an assortment of whatever cheese I have to make homemade for DD 2.5. I will add different items to it at different meals; frozen veggies, broccoli, grilled chicken, ham, hotdogs....whatever we have that tastes good with mac and cheese! Then on one of the days I add some spag. sauce to what is left and make some noodles and meatballs for DH and I and we have dinner! She loves the cheesy pasta with sauce! A box if mac goes a long way with her!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I just noticed the prices in the posts, great idea!

Today - Saturday: Hotdogs on the grill and parmesian noodles $4.00

Sunday - Chicken (rotisserie store bought), bisquits, and green beans $6.50

Monday - Baked Spaghetti (yeah I am excited), garlic crisps, and cuccumber salad (no prices, first time making so I am not too sure on all the costs)

Tuesday - Southern Ham Casserole, corn, applesauce $6.50

Wednesday - Marinated Chicken breasts, brown rice, and zucchini w/garlic and tomatoes $5.50

Thursday - Leftovers of everything because......

Friday - Hubbies birthday weekend in Columbus!! Woot-Woot. No cooking for me until Monday. Cost: way to much, but loving and surprising your hubby - priceless!

 

[NHWX]

I've made corn bread and muffins in the waffle maker also. Just takes a couple minutes.

I've jokingly called the muffins "wuffins" so I guess these were "wookies"

OK, "wuffins" are definitely in my future!

For the cookies, did you just use a regular batter? How long did you cook them for? I have one batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies in the freezer and I've been trying to save them for a desperate day. Now, maybe I don't have to!

NHWX