The Big Meal Planning Tip

Trying to eat tasty, home-cooked meals that are healthy on a budget isn't always an easy task to complete. However, I have one big tip that will save you loads on your grocery shopping trips. If you choose not to use my meal plans and want to do your own then keep the following in mind when planning out meals:

1. Limit your meats! Meat is expensive, but you can get alot more for your $$ if you buy it in bulk. When you are planning your meals choose only 2-3 different meats to work with for the whole month. My biggest staple is chicken because it's lean and cheap compared to other meats.

I buy it in these big bags and chuck it in my deep freezer: 

 

 

 

 

2. Try and use as many of the same ingredients as possible during the week. Example: Monday I  have Hawaiian Haystacks with chicken, pineapple, tomatoes, onion, chinese chow mein noodles, and cheese. On Wednesday I make Chicken Kabobs with chicken, onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple. By using the same ingredients I can cut costs by buying the repeated ingredients in bulk and reusing them through out the week. I like making Hawaiian Haystacks, Tacos, and Chicken Kabobs in the same week because I can use all the ingredients in a variety of ways.

3. EAT YOUR PRODUCE! If your planning next weeks meals and you have a perfectly good tomato sitting in your fridge plan a meal using it so it doesn't go to waste and you save money!

4. Have a leftover day! Once a week use them, or if your creative find a way to recook the leftovers into a new dish so the food doesn't literally go down the drain.

Surprise savings!

Here is my fair warning to you: I get excited easily. So when a friend of mine revealed to me that she can grocery shopping for her family of four on half the budget I shop for I got excited, and weary. I mean HALF my budget? It seems to good to be true. She offered to show me her tricks and take me on a shopping trip. It didn't take much convincing on her part. Hence, my lazy self never took the time to notify my viewers why I wasn't posting a grocery list for weeks two, three, or four. However, part of her plan is that she does not shop one week at a time, but two. In order to prepare for my trip with her I scrounged up what meals I could for my cupboards not wanting to buy extra food until I saw her plan. So here are my friends rules...and the results will dazzle you!

Rules:
1. Pick two meats for your meals to work with
2. Reuse the ingredients in other meals. Ex: Make Taco's Monday and use the remaining ground beef in spaghetti the next night.
3. Write out your grocery list item by item
 4. Go to http://www.grocerysmarts.com/ at the top left and select the state you will be shopping in and then again at the top left select ALL-IN-ONE (its the last option).
5. Scroll through the list of foods on the page and if it's on your list write the store and the price next to the item on your grocery list.
6. Go shopping at wal-mart and put all the items you got on sale at the front. Tell them the item, store, and price and they will change the price for you. NOTE: my friend said that some tellers want to SEE the coupon and if they do that she just leaves. However, following is the link to Walmarts ad match guarantee and it states that you do not have to have the ad with you in order to get the price. I suggest printing the guarantee and showing it to any doubting tellers: http://www.walmartstores.com/10563.aspx

The Results for two weeks of food for a family of four? $158! My average total would have been $220!! Holy Amaze-balls! In that price I also got a birthday cake, a princess pez dispenser, and a whole bunch of nuts for a homemade granola...all these things would not normally be on my list!

Your Grocery List for two weeks and recipes:

Dairy/refrigerated	Produce	Canned	Dry	Frozen	Meat	Misc.
Sliced mozzarella cheese and Colby Jack Cheese Cream Cheese Sour Cream/Cottage cheese (depending on what you like on your baked potato) Butter or Margarine Crescent rolls	Onions Tomato Lettuce Avocado Red bell peppers Mushrooms Garlic Cloves (I buy it in the jar) Russet Potatoes	Cream of chicken Pineapple Salsa Spaghetti sauce Sloppy Joe Mix Chilli Chicken Broth	Rice Tortillas Spaghetti noodles Hamburger buns Bread		Chicken Ground beef Turkey and roast beef lunch meat	Hard Chinese noodles Taco seasoning Ranch seasoning Salad dressing of Choice Pesto sauce Au Jus Sauce Bacon Bits

French Dip Crescent Ingredients: http://www.mamalovesfood.com/2012/01/french-dip-crescents-with-easy-au-jus.html

• 2 packages crescent rolls, 8 count
• 1 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces Swiss or provolone cheese, cut in 16 equal sized pieces
• optional: Horseradish Sauce
• optional: Au Jus for dipping (click here for my Easy Au Jus recipe!)

French Dip Crescent Directions:

1. Unroll crescents onto a large cookie sheet.
2. Spread a small dab of horseradish on each crescent, then place a slice of roast beef and a piece of cheese on each crescent.
3. Roll crescents starting from the wide end and ending at the narrow end.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 to 13 minutes, until crescents are a golden color.
5. Serve with Au Jus and enjoy!
   
   
   Slow Cooker Pork Chops
   http://eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/2011/01/slow-cooker-pork-chops.html
   
   
   4 thick-cut pork chops, bone in or boneless
   1 can cream of chicken soup (with herbs or without)
   1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix
   4 cloves garlic, minced
   1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
   pepper
   
   
   Combine soup, dressing mix, garlic, and broth.  Sprinkle chops with pepper (Do Not Salt).  Place chops in slow cooker and pour soup mixture over top.  Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 6-7 hours.  Serve over rice.  Serves: 4  

   Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich ( I am not making the pesto sauce I am buying pesto sauce and adding garlic to it so my list follows that)

   based on all those gorgeous green goddesses out there…
   makes 1 sandwich
   

   Ingredients

   2 slices bread (we used a white bread, but one filled with lots of different whole grains and seeds would be *awesome*)
   2-3 tablespoons Green Goddess Herb Pesto (recipe below)
   2 slices mild white melty cheese like mozzarella
   handful fresh baby spinach
   ¼ avocado, sliced
   2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled
   olive oil (and butter if you’re so inclined)
   

   Directions

   Spread about 1 tablespoon of Green Goddess Herb Pesto onto each slice of bread (2 tablespoons total, but if you’re sensitive, go light, the pesto is STRONG).
   On one slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, sliced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, spinach, second slice of cheese, then top it with second slice of bread. Press together gently.
   Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. (If you want to use butter, add it to the oil and let it melt). Add the sandwich to the oil and cook until bread is golden brown. Press down on the sandwich lightly, then flip the sandwich over and cook until second side is golden brown.
   

   Green Goddess Herb Pesto

   Ingredients

   1 clove garlic
   1 (or 2 if you’re ballsy) anchovy fillet (in oil)
   ½ small shallot, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
   1 teaspoon lemon juice
   handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
   handful chopped kale
   2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
   1 tablespoon chopped chives
   ¼ cup olive oil
   salt and pepper to taste
   

   Directions

   Pulse garlic, anchovy, and shallot in food processor until chopped. With the food processor running, add lemon juice, parsley, kale, tarragon and chives. (It won’t process very well yet, don’t worry).
   Very slowly drizzle in olive oil until kale and herbs get sufficiently chopped and everything is the consistency of a pesto. You may need more or less of the olive oil depending on how big a “handful” of herbs is to you. You can also turn off the food processor and push herbs down the side of the bowl with a spatula every once in a while.
   Season to taste with salt and pepper (You probably won’t need too much salt if you used 2 anchovies).
   (This makes a lot, but you will use it all for other things. We added more olive oil to make it back into a salad dressing.)
   
   CrockPot Ranch Chicken: http://www.livinglaughingandloving.com/2012/01/crockpot-ranch-pork-chops-finger-licking-good.html
   
   Uh, yeah.  You heard right.  Only THREE ingredients.  I wasn’t joking.
   

   • Pork Chops
   • Ranch Seasoning Dry Mix Packet
   • 1 can Cream of Chicken plus 1 can water as needed {or 2 cans cream of chicken}  This will depend on how fast your crockpot cooks and how long you’ll be cooking it.

   
   Ready for the hard part?  {I’m so funny.  I know.} Combine all three ingredients in the crockpot and mix well.   Yup.  That’s it.
   
   Hawaiin Haystacks: http://picky-palate.com/2012/04/01/homemade-hawaiian-haystacks/
   
   the link says it all, but at my house I already have craisins and almonds so those weren't on the list, or olives. 
   
   Im thinking the other recipes are self explanatory, but if not please inquire!
   
   

Pictures can be deceiving! Im sorry!

I like Pinterest. It's my little guilty pleasure. I do actually try many of the things I pin. I have done many activities with my 3 year old thanks to the ideas I have found on that site. Pinterest has made me feel very crafty indeed. Right now, I am working on making a menu board that I found there and it's going to look awesome in my kitchen. I'll post pictures when it's done. *sigh* I do however need to apologize because one of the many things I pin are food related. Sometimes I sneak one into my meal plans just so I can try it. They don't always turn out as awesome as the picture looks. I admit one particular dish deceived me. Lemon-Basil Ricotta Stuffed Shells in a Champagne Cream Sauce. I implore you to tell me how does a dish like that NOT turn out well? Seriously, I even made the ricotta cheese by hand! I will, however, say this: The stuffed shells and my delicious ricotta cheese were sensational. The champagne sauce on the other hand was just to strong. If I were to make this dish again - and I will - I would skip the champagne sauce and just use Alfredo sauce. If you really want champagne then just have a drink on the side. It is my mission to continue to cooking these delicious looking meals on pinterest, but if we happen upon a bad apple please forgive me. It might happen, but most of these meals are just plain freaking awesome! Bon Appetite!


Oh, and guess what?! Next week I have a surprise for you all! I am going to try something new in my meal planning/grocery endeavors and you will all get a sneak peak into what I did and how it all worked out. Here's a little hint though: Two weeks groceries all under $150 for a family of four. Can I do it? Come check in next week for results! (yes, this means one of my meal plans for this month will go out the window, but if it works it will be well worth it to me and all you followers (I hope I get some soon!) when your wallets are a little fatter after buying your family food.

Grocery shopping totals for week 1

I went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon and my actual food costs on the list totaled about $107 at Wal-Mart. My goal is to average around $100/week on my food budget. The only exception to this rule is when I go Costco shopping and stock up on meats and other essentials. Now, I just need to find a way to make it so I can go grocery shopping every two weeks because I spent almost 2 hours at the store with my 3 year old and 8 month old and by the end of the trip I was exhausted and lost all patience. Please tell me that all you other mommies get this way too! I have found that putting a quarter in the candy machine at the entrance helps my 3 year old stay on track, but seriously, im not into bribing my kids all the time to behave and 2 hours is an exceptionally long time to ask a child to just walk around the store with mommy and not play with all the fun stuff in the aisles. If any of you have a grand idea on occupying children's active minds in the store please share!

The Journey Begins

I am one of those girls that LOVE to cross off to-do lists. I grab my pen and draw a big fat line through my task with pride and pat myself on the back as I see my list dwindling to nothing. So it is no surprise that I quickly became obsessed with the world of meal planning. I am a stay at home with two girls and I have several needs in my meal planning quest: 1. The food needs to be kid approved, or at least the majority of it 2. I don't diet, but I strongly believe in eating healthy so as my personal trainer has advised eat healthy 80% of the time and 20% the time you can splurge. So in that light four meals a week are healthier and three are whatever I feel like, healthy or not! 3. I LOVE to cook, but I don't have time to slave away in the kitchen every night of the day. My meal plans will be a mix of quick fixes, crock pot meals, and yes some days I will dive into my cooking craze and spend some quality time with my kitchen cooking. 4. I only meal plan dinners, but in case you are wondering what I eat for breakfast here are a few samples: a fruit smoothie with a handful of homemade granola, a bowl of cereal (not my favorite, but who has time to make a smoothie every morning!), a bowl of oatmeal, once a month or so I will have something more elaborate, but I usually don't have that much time. I like the fruit smoothies because I get my daily serving of fruit and I am not always so great with eating those even though I LOVE fruit! 5. For dinners I usually just put the main course and to save money I go to COSTCO and buy huge bags of frozen veggies and serve those with my meal so if there isn't a vegetable next to the meal then that's what I do! 6. Most meals will consist of chicken because it's leaner and cheaper so if your following my meal plans to the T then bulk up on your chicken breasts! 6. We love spaghetti, it's cheap, quick and easy so once a week it's a staple in my home. We have spaghetti with turkey meat balls and corn. If you don't like spaghetti choose a different weekly staple that's quick and easy your family will enjoy! 7. I create my meal plans for each month and make a grocery list for each week so the food stays fresh. I don't eat the foods for the week in order, it just lets me know what I have on hand to cook that week. Ex. I may look at my meal plan Monday and decide that Thursdays meal sounds better.

I think that's it for now, folks!

July 2012 Meal Plan

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Week 1	Baked Potato Bar	Lemon-Basil Ricotta Stuffed Shells in a Champagne Cream Sauce	Spaghetti Night	Slow-Cooker Pot Roast	Salmon and Veggies	Lettuce Wraps	Enchiritos Veggies
Week 2	Hawaiian Haystacks	Taco Night	Spaghetti Night	Crockpot Ranch Chicken	Chicken Kabobs	Turkey Wrap with Cucumber Cream Cheese With side salad	Leftovers or going out
Week 3	Baked Potato Bar	French Dip Crescents	Spaghetti Night	Slowcooker Pork Chops	Chilli and corn bread	Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich	Sloppy Joes
Week 4	Hawaiian Haystacks	Macaroni and Cheese with hot dogs	Spaghetti Night	Fish Sticks and pasta roni	Chicken Kabobs	Ultimate Clean & Lean Lettuce Wrap	Leftovers or going out

and the grocery list!

July 2012 Grocery List

Dairy	Baking and spices	Canned/sauces	Dry/Boxed	Produce	Meat/Deli	Frozen	Miss.
Sour Cream Cheese Butter Pecorino Romano Heavy Cream Milk Cheese Yogurt Vanilla	Bacon bits Pink cupcakes Salt and pepper All purpose flour Lemon juice Basil Sesame oil Minced ginger Five spice powder	Spaghetti Sauce Worcestershire Water Chestnuts Chicken Broth Hoisin sauce Enchilada sauce	1 box Jumbo Shells Spaghetti Noodles	Baked Potatoes Lemon Zest Carrots Onions Garlic clove Red bell pepper Boston lettuce leaves Freshly chopped herbs (cilantro, basil, mint, chives)	Beef chuck roast Ground Turkey Salmon	Frozen Veggies package of El Monteray Burritoes	Champagne Cheese Cloth

and the recipes for the meals for the month:

Lemon-Basil Ricotta Stuffed Shells in a Champagne Cream Sauce

source: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2012/01/lemon-basil-ricotta-stuffed-shells-in-a-champagne-cream-sauce.html

Yield: serves 2-4 depending

Ingredients:

1 box Jumbo Shells, you won't use them all but some may break in the cooking process
1-1/2 cups Lemon Basil Ricotta
1 cup Pecorino Romano, grated on the largest holes of a box grater
3 tablespoons of Butter
3 tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 clove of Garlic
3/4 cup Champagne
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Directions:

Butter a large {or two small} baking dish and bring a large pot of water to boil and season generously with kosher salt. Cook the jumbo shell pasta two to three minutes shy of al dente {or shy of the box directions}.
Mean while, season the ricotta with salt and black pepper. Mix in half of the grated pecorino and set aside.
Once the pasta is partially cooked, drain well and spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet or some parchment paper. With a spoon stuff enough shells until the ricotta is gone and place the stuffed shells into the prepared dishes. Discard or save any unused shells for another purpose.
In a small sauce pan melt three tablespoons of butter, once melted press {or finely minced} in one clove of garlic. Cook until fragrant and soft, but not browned. Whisk in the three tablespoons of flour and cook, while whisking, for a minute. Pour in champagne, still whisk while you pour in the heavy cream. Let bubble {still whisking} until slightly thick 1-2 minutes. Add some fresh ground black pepper, then remove and pour evenly over the stuffed shells.
Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly. About 20-25 minutes.

Homemade Ricotta with Lemon and Basil

Recipe Description

Fresh ricotta made at home. Better than anything in the store.

Preparation Instructions

Yields 3-4 cups of ricotta.

• 1 gallon Whole Milk
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ⅔ cups Lemon Juice
• ⅓ cups Basil, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
• ⅓ teaspoons Pepper

In a large Dutch oven or deep pot, heat milk and salt to 185ºF, stirring frequently to avoid scalding. Remove from heat and pour in lemon juice. Let sit for 25 minutes while curds separate and form. Do not disturb.
Line a large colander or strainer with a double layer of cheese cloth, placing them over a deep bowl. Slowly pour cheese mixture into the strainer lined with cheesecloth and allow to drain, about 10-15 minutes or until the liquid no longer strains freely.
Place in a large bowl. Fold in minced basil, lemon zest, and pepper if desired. Do not mix too much, just enough to incorporate.

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Total Time 6 1/4 hours
• Yield Serves 8
• Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/313619/slow-cooker-pot-roast

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 8 medium carrots, cut into thirds
• 2 medium onions, each cut into 8 wedges
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 beef chuck roast (3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. In slow cooker, stir together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth. Add carrots and onions; season with salt and pepper, and toss.
2. Sprinkle roast with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; place on top of vegetables, and drizzle with Worcestershire. Cover; cook on high, 6 hours (or on low, 10 hours).
3. Transfer roast to a cutting board; thinly slice against the grain. Place vegetables in a serving dish; pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve, if desired. Serve roast with vegetables and pan juices.

Variations

Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In step 1, use a 5-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid; add 2 cups water. Cover; bake until roast is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Proceed with step 3.

Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps

Based on a popular Chinese dish, these fun wraps also make appealing appetizers for entertaining. Make it a meal: Serve with chile-garlic sauce and rice vinegar for extra zip; toss diced mango and strawberries with lime juice for a quick dessert.

4 servings, 1 1/4 cups filling for about 6 wraps each | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes 

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/five_spice_turkey_lettuce_wraps.html

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup instant brown rice
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, (see Note)
• 1 teaspoon five-spice powder, (see Note)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil, mint and/or chives
• 1 large carrot, shredded

Preparation

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
3. To serve, divide lettuce leaves among plates, spoon some of the turkey mixture into each leaf, top with herbs and carrot and roll into wraps.

Enchirritos:

Source: online somewhere....if you find please let me know so I can give credit!
10 count package of El Monteray Burritoes 

1 can enchillada sauce 

1/2 block cheddar shredded

 Bake in covered 9x13 pan for time directed on burrito package.