Weekly Menu and Shopping Plan to Save Money and Frugal Grocery Haul 5-17

Due to Mother's day and two birthdays our grocery budget was blown so here is my Weekly Menu and Shopping Plan to Save Money and Frugal Grocery Haul 5-17.

 See how I did with a plan to spend between $50 - $70 for a family of six for the week.

Menu Plan Sunday - Cooking Ahead To Save Time

Now begins my busy months of April and May so I will be cooking ahead to save time. I drive for my daughter's drumline competitions so I will be gone every weekend but one this month. Make ahead meals are a necessity so we avoid eating fast food.

Cook Once, Eat Twice - Meal Plan Sunday 3/22

I am trying something new for Menu Plan Sunday and going with cook once, eat twice meals this week.
We are so busy for the next few months that I really have to streamline my cooking. I will be driving to my daughter's competitions for about six weeks so I need a lot of healthy cook once eat twice options so I can cook only on the few days I am home but we will have meals all week.

Meal Plan Sunday - March Meal Ideas 3/13

We are headed into a busy few months and a weekly menu plan I prepare on Sunday helps me to keep on track and always have a dinner plan.

This begins some prime barbecue weather with lots of warmer weather and longer days. Watch for good deals on charcoal. We went to Lowe's and bought two of the large double bags of briquettes on sale cheaper than the rest of the year. Also watch for Memorial weekend deals.

Menu Plan Sunday - March Dinner Ideas 3/6

Onto March and closer to spring and thinking of fresher ingredients for Menu Plan Sunday - March Dinner Ideas. Our garden is coming to life and greens and lettuce are ready for picking. Can't wait for the first batch of beets.

Menu Plan Sunday, February Meal Ideas 2/28/16

I am loving this series and menu plan Sunday post, because it is forcing me to get my plan done so I can post it. Funny how that works right?

Weekly menu planning on the blog and in my kitchen has really helped to cut back on food waste. I know what I need and keep track of what needs cooking. It is really freeing and saves time on dinner planning.

February Meal Planning for the week of 2/28:

Sunday: Oven tri-tip, baked sweet potatoes from our garden, green beans

Monday: Lasagna (this is my freezer meal of the week) one for dinner and one to freeze, lemon  dressing salad, easy French bread

Tuesday: Supper in a dish one pot crock pot meal (this recipe is coming this week on Wed.), orange slices from our trees, leftover French bread

Wednesday: Dinner with in-laws

Thursday: Turkey Burgers, Oriental pasta salad

Friday: Tender barbecued pork roast, savory bbq potatoes, Italian three bean salad

Saturday: Time to make a big batch of pancake mix. I make up the dry ingredients that last about two months. Dinner is out for Date night (YAY!)

Menu Plan Sunday, February Meal Planning - 2/7

Welcome to weekly menu plan Sunday. We are starting of this week with Superbowl Sunday so today is full of snacky foods and good football appetizers ideas.

Menu Plan Sunday

Sunday: Superbowl snack food ideas - 7 layer bean dip, barbecue buffalo wings, creamy Italian ranch pasta salad, pigs in a blanket and easy football cupcakes.

Monday: Chicken pot pie from freezer and green salad.

Tuesday: Crock pot cheesy potatoes and smoked sausage (recipe coming this week), sliced oranges and steamed spinach with red wine vinegar.

Wednesday: Dinner with in-laws

Thursday: Roasted Chicken, baked potato salad, sauteed greens from the garden

Friday: Date night

Saturday: (Hosting my father in law's b-day) Barbecued tri-tip, grandma's baked beans, crock pot mac n cheese, green salad, grilled herb bread, best banana cake ever.

The banana cake recipe is so good and such a moist cake recipe and great use of bananas from the freezer. Always a hit whenever I make it. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Sunday - January 31

We are in the fifth week of Menu plan Sunday. I love planning winter meals. Soups are always on the weekly menu this time of year. Along with a rainy day, soup is favorite winter treat.

Menu planning on a budget is always top of mind but you will find most of my menu plan ideas are for frugal meals using basic ingredients while still providing a variety. Budget friendly meats are the basis for our meals as well as using pantry staples.

Weekly Menu Plan Sunday

• Sunday: Homemade Chicken Crispers with homemade ranch dip, corn on the cob and Italian three bean salad.

• Monday: Ground turkey tacos, black bean and corn salad

• Tuesday:  Crock pot spaghetti sauce (this is my freezer cooking for the week. The extra sauce will be frozen), spaghetti, salad with leftover ranch dressing from Sunday

• Wednesday: Dinner with family

• Thursday: Crazy clean out the freezer meal. I will supplement with a crock pot of pinto beans. (When I start seeing too many odds and ends it is time to just pull out a bunch of things and cook them up.       

• Friday: Pot of chicken soup with Cuban sandwiches.

• Saturday: Date night with hubby ( I really look forward to this so putting on the schedule is important.

Menu Planning Sunday - January Meal Ideas 1/24

This week I will be cooking up some of the meals from previous menu planning Sunday plans. I have been sick for almost a week so for a few nights I did not cook as planned but we ate leftovers or hubby picked up something. I am hoping I am going to be back to normal soon energy wise.

I still have a giant pork roast I need to cook up in the crock pot. Our freezers are very full so unless we find good deals on mark down meat, we aren't buying much. I have plans to go to a once every two weeks grocery shopping schedule soon so I have been concentrating on stocking up more than usual.

Menu Plan Sunday - Week Four

Sunday - Barbecued Steaks, Savory Barbecue Potatoes, Grilled Cauliflower, Italian Three Bean Salad

Monday - Crock pot Ham and Cheese Casserole (recipe coming soon), Green Salad with Easy Vinaigrette Dressing

Tuesday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches, sweet potato fries from all the sweet potatoes I grew, sliced oranges from our trees

Wednesday - Dinner with In-Laws, I will be bringing Lentil Artichoke Salad

Thursday - Pork soft tacos using leftover shredded pork, Simple Spanish Rice

Friday - Homemade Pizza, salad using leftover fixins with Lemon Vinaigrette

Saturday - Date Night, kids are on their own!

Freezer cooking: I will be making a double batch of Ultimate Banana Bread. Some to share, some to eat now and one to go in the freezer.

Menu Planning Sunday - January Menu Ideas Week Three

Back again for menu plan Sunday - January menu ideas week three. I have been making a lot of soups because winter calls for comfort foods and soups in your menu planning ideas. Soups are great frugal meal ideas. 

This week we have comfort food and some outdoor barbecue due to some nicer weather. We never barbecued the chicken from last week's menu because we had lots of leftovers to eat one night and I never throw food away if it can make a frugal meal. Quite the variety for my menu plan for the week.

Weekly Menu Plan January Week 3

Sunday: Barbecue Chicken, Grandma's Baked Beans, Green Salad, Barbecue herb bread

Monday: Crock Pot pulled pork sandwiches, Best cole slaw ever

Tuesday: Creamy Pumpkin Soup, Easy French Bread

Wednesday: Dinner out with in-laws

Thursday: Bean Burritos, Simple Spanish rice

Friday: Calzones, Lemon vinaigrette salad of baby greens

Saturday: Turkey pot pies, sliced oranges from our trees, sauteed greens from the garden. 

I will make double the pot pies and freeze the other. I am trying to always make a freezer meal one night a week. One to eat and one to freeze. Freezer meals are great times and money savers. 

Breakfast: I will also be making a big batch of granola to fill the jar. I like making this often in our attempts at cooking more of our food from scratch.

Weekly Menu Planning Sunday - January Menu Ideas 1/10

January Menu Ideas Week Two

For my weekly menu planning Sunday and more January meal ideas, I went to my indoor freezer to do an inventory so I could cook up and clean out the meat in that freezer and add to my menu planner.

I do not want to waste food by letting it get freezer burnt so a regular freezer inventory is important.

So in my indoor freezer I had:

• Whole turkey (my daughter received it from work for Christmas - free!)
• Chunk of ham leftover from Christmas
• Package of chicken legs
• Very large pork loin roast (enough for several meals)

I have a small freezer in the garage where most of our meat is stored but I am wanting to clean this freezer out first and create meals from that freezer first since this meat takes up a lot of space. Here are some more January menu planning ideas. January dinner ideas are often hot hearty meals that go great with cold weather. I love being able to make large pots of soup and use my oven in cooler temps.

Menu Planning Sunday 

Sunday: Roast turkey with mashed potatoes and dressing, green beans, easy dinner rolls.

Monday: Ham and Bean soup, Super Simple Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing Salad

Tuesday : Leftovers

Wednesday: Dinner at In-Laws

Thursday: Turkey soup and Easy French Bread

Friday: Barbecued Chicken Legs, Savory Barbecue Potatoes, salad and corn

Saturday: Dinner out with hubby; kids can get and grab

Printable link to print this weeks menu where you can print, copy and open each recipe: January Menu Week Two

There is my menu plan for the week. I did not use the pork roast so I will roll that into week three of my January menu ideas. Any leftover turkey will be frozen. I will have to get a menu planning printable so I can print up from my posts. Anyone have a good one they can recommend and share?

Dont miss week one of January Meny Planning Ideas.

Weekly Menu Planning Sunday - January Dinner Menu Ideas

January Menu Plan Ideas - Week One

I am committing to more home cooked meals with a weekly menu planning post on Sundays on the blog. I figure if I get it in writing it will inspire me and you to make more homemade from scratch meals. Busyness cannot get in the way of healthier meals. I will list the menu with links to the recipes if I have them so you can save them if you are inspired to make a recipe yourself.

I have a new large crock pot my daughter gave me to replace the one that broke so I will be using it a lot this week.

Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

Easy Asian Noodle Salad

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup (Recipe coming very soon) My favorite new soup to make

Crock Pot Supper in a Dish ( a family favorite)

Homemade Meatballs and Spaghetti (making extra to freeze as well)

The other two nights we will be eating elsewhere. One night at my in laws and another night out with my hubby.

Here is week two of January Menu Planning Ideas.