Weekly Menu - Pantry Freezer Week II

The week has gone along swimmingly.  As long as we don't discuss my mood.  Oy.  Other than myself, things have gone very well.  I didn't save as much money this grocery shop as I'd thought I might, but I did save some. Now the holes in my pantry are filled, save a few spices I am out of, but I want to go to a slightly out of the way store to pick those up.

Which reminds me...I was asked how much we spend.  I have a budget of $400 per month which includes any paper, personal care, household (cleaners, minor equipment), pet products we require, as well as planning to stock up on items on sale that we'd normally use.  It also includes a small cushion of about $10 for impulse items.  I sometimes use that for further stocking up, sometimes for flowers or herbs or plants or a magazine though I confess even this is rare these days.  I'd say on average we spend about $170 on actual food items each pay period.  In our area we get plentiful fresh seasonal produce, dairy items are mid-priced.  It's the canned/frozen/meat products that we pay a slightly higher cost for.   Mind you this is the same amount I've had to spend for the past 8 years or so.  We just get a lot less for our money than we did 8 years ago, hence even though we now feed 2 instead of 4, we spend about the same.   Our snack items generally are nuts, crackers (saltines and grahams for the most part), 1 bag of chips per pay period and soda.  My husband has given up a great deal over the years along the lines of snackfoods.  He's cut down on sodas so that he drinks only one a day and I drink a soda about every third day.  Overall we eat better than we ever did 8 years ago.  We buy better quality meats and foods and waste less money.



Well on to meal plans.

Macaroni and Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, Mixed Vegetable Salad
An easy meal for Shabat this week.  I haven't made a dessert of any sort, which I normally do for the weekend.  Some weeks I'm just not in the mood, lol.


Sloppy Joes, Chips, Coleslaw, Apple Wedges
I like a good sloppy joe...That said, I don't use canned sloppy joe mix.  I find them far too bitter, although the Del Monte brand is fairly good, but hard to find.  I had a Weight Watchers recipe years ago that I really enjoyed which had zucchini and carrot and tomatos in it, but I lost the recipe.  I played around and made my own using onions, garlic, green bell pepper, grated carrot and ketchup. Yes, ketchup.  I find it adds just the right amount of sweet to the dish.  If I'd had zucchini I'd have added that too and perhaps even mushrooms.  The more vegetable the further the 1/2 pound of beef stretches and we don't mind leftovers.


BBQ Roasted Chicken, Rice, Roasted Asparagus, Pear Salad
I make my own BBQ sauce for the same reason I make my own sloppy joes from scratch.  I think bottled sauce tastes bitter. I can make any flavor I choose: sweet, spicy, maple, smoky, etc.  Occasionally I'll use jam to add a different twist to the flavor.  Peach is quite good, as is apple butter (awesome on pork by the way).   
I read the other day that most people make their biggest mistake in using too much oil on their asparagus. Per the article even 1 tbsp is too much!  Second mistake: roasting far too long.  No more than 10-15 mins at moderate temperatures please.  We really like asparagus and eat a pound easily when I make it.  I'll slip a few spears aside to use in another dish or two later this week.


Pasta Primavera, Green Salad, Tiramisu
Mushrooms, peas, green onions, asparagus go into my pasta dish.  Easy tiramisu, just enough for two, for dessert.


Leftover Chicken, Pan Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans, Broccoli/Apple Salad

Shirred Eggs Turkey Ham cups with Asparagus, Hash brown potatoes, Green Salad
I like shirred eggs.  I think besides an omelet this is my most favorite way of making eggs.  Today I'll line ramekins with turkey ham, add an egg, cover with a tiny bit of half and half, and top with asparagus tips and perhaps a slight bit of Swiss cheese.  Leftover potatoes (I'll make extra when we have leftover chicken) will be made into quick hashbrowns.


Chicken Fried Rice, Homemade EggRolls,  Steamed Broccoli, Tangelos
I'll use leftover rice (making extra when we eat our first chicken meal), any vegetables on hand to make the fried rice.  I bought egg roll wrappers and will make enough rolls to go into the freezer (we like them occasionally as a snack).