Do you want to know how much I love you, Internet?
My Internet is down and I’m at Qdoba to blog. The irony isn’t lost on me. Ryan agreed to bring me to Qdoba to get a burrito (not really on the “eat-what-we-got” plan) and use the free wireless internet for blogging (about our “eat-what-we-got” challenge).
Outside of this Qdoba run, the “eat-what-we-got” challenge is going really well. While I’ve never been a strict menu planner, it really does help me to stay on track. We did stop at the Farmer’s Market and Aldi for some fresh produce, orange juice, etc. Ryan also brought home a ton of free sweet corn, so that will need to be eaten in the next week or two.
But we definitely spent a ton less than usual over the past two weeks, and it seems like our pantry and freezer are beginning to look more empty. And we’ve eaten at home so much this week, despite having a crazy busy week. We actually ate two additional meals at home than what were on last week’s plan.
So, go us. (What’s the use of having your own blog if you can’t toot your own horn?)
Last week’s meals
Monday – Slow cooker beef roast (Easy and tasty, 4/5)
Wednesday – Creamy tomato basil pasta (This did not turn out nearly as great as I hoped, 3/5)
Thursday – Slow cooker baked potatoes with toppings (Love making these in the slow cooker and had leftovers for a great lunch, 4/5)
Friday- Black beans and rice with guacamole (Our favorite, 5/5)
Sunday lunch – Italian sausage with corn on the cob (So delicious, 5/5)
Breakfast – homemade breakfast sandwiches (Disappointing and definitely no McDonalds, 2/5)
Pretty close to plan. Ryan brought home some Italian sausage, so we did eat that. And we added lasagna on Saturday night.
This week’s meals
Monday – Corn on the cob and/or leftovers (lasagna and black beans/rice)
Tuesday – Mexican rice bake (idea via Mandy at Southern Gnome)
Wednesday- Fried green tomatoes with pasta
Thursday – Julia’s easy slow cooker chicken
Friday – Chicken/fish on the grill with hash browns and corn on the cob
Saturday – Homemade pizza
And here’s the pantry list. I’ve colored the items I’ll be using this week in red and crossed out the used items, which will disappear in future weeks.
Meat
Pre-cooked ground sausage (ate some, but some is still left)Chicken tenderloins
Chicken breast
Ground beef (1)Breakfast sausageBeef roastPre-made lasagnaChili (2)
Salmon
Tilapia
Vegetables
Frozen corn (4)
Frozen mixed veggies (2)
Frozen snap peas
Frozen peas
Frozen shredded zucchini and squash
Frozen Asparagus
Frozen winter squashPotatoes
Hash browns (4)
Fruit
Strawberries
Peaches
Rhubarb
Cheese
Cheddar (4) (3)
Mozzarella (3)Italian blend
Mexican (2)
Cream cheese (4) (3)
PastaPenne (1)
Macaroni
Lasagna
Fettucini (2)
Linguine
Spaghetti (3)
Egg noodles (2)
Canned goods
Black beans (5) (4)
Diced tomatoes (2)
Mexican diced and whole tomatoes (5) (4)
Tomato sauce (6)
Tomato paste
Pizza sauce (2)
Spaghetti sauce (4)
Mushroom
Tuna (2)
Corn
Manwich (2)
Cream of mushroom soup
Cream of chicken soup (2)
Baked beans (3)
Olives (1)Artichoke
Enchilada sauce (4)
Misc.
Eggs
Bisquick
Taco seasoning (4)
Tortillas (1)
Beef stew seasoningFrench onion soup mix (2)
Italian seasoning (3)Corn bread
Walnuts
Brown rice
White rice
Raisins
Peanuts
Pecans
A variety of baking supplies, including flours, sugars, etc.
Any other ideas for next week’s meals?
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Leigh says
What about a trail mix as a snack? Using the nuts, raisins, we also add some sort of chocolate and other dried fruits (I really like coconut).
Shannon says
First of all, I love that you proclaim your love for McD’s breakfasts. John and I are weekend regulars at the ol’ drive-thru.
Meal ideas: Use chicken & walnuts
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/walnut-rosemary-oven-fried-chicken-10000001988567/
Use ground beef, cheeses & bisquick
http://shannonsswell.blogspot.com/2010/11/cheeseburglar.html
Laura says
How sad that the breakfast sandwiches were disappointing, those have been on my mind all week!
Amy says
Hi Kim, The Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta looks wonderful although, the link to the recipe isn’t working. Could you please post the reciep for that ? Thanks! =)
Kristi says
No ideas for you. Sorry. Just wanted to say keep up the great work!!!
Mandi @ Southern Gnome says
i hope this week goes well for you. My cabinets are inventoried and we are kinda doing this ourselves now. I’d like to save some $$ before our beach trip in September and I apparently hoard food. Not on purpose, but I buy something think I want to eat it and then change my mind or it got shoved to the back so I forgot about it.
Lucky Girl says
Have you tried Hashbrown Casserole? My family takes it to pot-lucks all the time but I like it best on a Saturday or Sunday morning with biscuits. We make ours using a bag of frozen hashbrowns with a diced onion, a cup of low-fat sour cream, a can of cream of something soup, a cup of shredded cheddar cheese, garlic salt, pepper, chilli powder, and rosemary mixed in. We also like to top it with something crunchy, like mashed up cornflakes or plain potato chips. Yummy!
lyndsay @ Mr and Mrs says
i have been menu planning since Jan 1, it was my new years resolution. It really does help you save some serious $$! When we lived in cities, it was easy to walk to the grocery store every night to get whatever we felt like that day. This takes a lot more discipline, but def a time and money saver 🙂
Leah says
Have you tried this recipe?
http://hopealicious.blogspot.com/2011/03/salsa-ranch-chicken-with-black-beans.html
You could probably substitute the salsa for one of those cans of tomatoes. I really like this recipe and make it often, sometimes over rice, sometimes on tortillas.
-L