April 5-11 Mealplan

Every week after I do my shopping I write out a menu for that week’s meals. It’s something that my family has really enjoyed. I get to feel like I’m the chef of a fabulous restaurant and my husband gets to order whatever he wants from the menu! Every morning when we’re drinking our coffee he picks out what he wants to eat that night. And I have the day to defrost it, prep it, and sometimes even cook it to be ready for that evening’s dinner.
So like I said before, I write out my grocery list on Wednesday mornings, but don’t actually do the shopping until Sundays. I find that the stores are wanting to ‘get rid’ of more things by then. I’ll find a whole chicken sometimes marked down to pennies per pound because it needs to be moved for the next week’s shipment. If I’m not using it that night for dinner, I freeze it. (Man, I wish my freezer was bigger). Another tip is to have your pantry and fridge stocked with everyday and even some exotic items so you can build your meals around what you already have at home. You don’t have to go out and buy a ton of things now…just begin to think about items you use frequently and buy them whenever they’re at a good price. That way they’re there when you need them.
This Sunday I spent $80 and saved $75. (That’s a higher grocery bill than usual, but it’ll even itself out in the weeks to come…) And after I put all the groceries away, I sat down and wrote out the weeks menu…
*Tom Ka Gai (a wonderful coconut chicken soup) and Shrimp Egg Rolls
-I used chicken breasts and shrimp from a previous week’s sale that I had frozen, and other fridge and pantry items that I always keep on hand. And I baked the egg rolls. I don’t deep-fry for my family.
*Italian Meatloaf with Polenta and Roasted Broccoli
-Ground lean turkey was on BOGO sale last week ($2), I had bought broccoli from Aldi the week before, and I always have polenta on hand.
*Croque Madaam’s and Pomme Frittes (french ham&cheese sammies and french fries)
-We’ll have this tonight… I have the deli meat and cheese from a previous HT deli sale (you bought 2 to get 3 free) and I always keep things like potatoes, onions and garlic on hand. Again, I’m baking the fries.
* Hoisin-Glazed Chicken over Pad Thai
-I got the whole chicken last week for $4 and I’ll cut it up, roast it and glaze it. The pad thai ingredients are always on hand.
*Chicken-fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Peas
-one of G’s favorite comfort-meals…and we’ve been sick this week. Cubed steak is sooo cheap and it still goes on BOGO sales often, so my freezer is stocked with several of them. Frozen peas are awesome. Always have some.
*Pickin’ Pork and cornbread
-Pork butts (stop giggling) were 99cents/lb ($6), and I make a mean cornbread. (Yeehaw!)
* Flat-iron Steaks with Parsley Potatoes, Roasted Garlic, and Sauteed Spinach
-G will be making me this dinner on Friday (steak night). He’s a wonderful cook and this is one of my favorite things he makes me. I lick the plate every time. Flat Irons are our favorite cut of beef. HT finally carries them..but they’re more expensive than I like to spend on beef ($6/lb.) Last week they were a dollar off and even though that’s still high, I can afford to treat my family because of how much I save on a weekly basis.
That’s really what makes this process so enjoyable for me. We eat amazing food. Better food than we were before. Because now I’m more attentive to my shopping. I take the time to plan our meals. Most of the time I write out menus with meals I’ve never even made before but I cook them in my head and have yet to recieve a complaint about any of them. Most of you may not like to cook as much as I do and think you can’t do what I’m doing. But I promise you it’s easy. And I’ll help you.
About my ‘recipes’…I don’t use them, don’t believe in them. Cooking for me is natural, sensual even, and there’s nothing natural or sensual about following directions. I eyeball everything and don’t write anything down but I can always tell you how to make something if you ask. It just may be a little scatterbrained. Welcome to my world.