CHRISTEPHI

Last year while on my blogging hiatus, I did something crazy. I planned meals out an entire month or more in advance!   And it was heavenly. I give a lot of myself during a typical school day. My energies are consumed with many, many details. Did this child read today? Did she understand math? How many minutes did that lesson take? Do I need to supplement this topic? How long until they need a break? Did we cover everything? Is that spelled correctly? What is 7x12? How are we doing for time? Did I take my vitamins? Do we need to be anywhere today? And on and on.  By the time our lessons are over, I am frequently suffering from decision fatigue. I just cannot make choices about what we will eat for supper.  I will literally stand in front of the fridge or cupboard staring at ingredients for 15 minutes, then give up and order Jimmy John's. To relive myself of this burden, I have discovered that having a meal plan in place is essential. I have enough physical energy t...

Monday : Beef stir fry with radishes, fresh greens, bell peppers, onions and carrots (all from CSA) Tuesday : Potato soup and fresh breadsticks Wednesday : Baked chicken, green salad, rice Thursday : Meatless spaghetti Friday : Butternut squash parmesan Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Chicken fried rice with more CSA veggies

Monday : Pork chops, fried eggs, green beans, rice Tuesday : Baked chicken breast, baby butternut squash, rice Wednesday : Potato soup Thursday : Southwest chicken w/ homemade salsa, corn chips Friday : Stuffed acorn squash Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Bean burritos

I used part of this week's grocery budget last week to buy scrumptious peaches and plums on sale ($0.99 per pound is probably the cheapest we'll see till next year!) and put up 12 jars of sliced peaches, some peach jelly, and plum butter.  I also bought cantaloupes at $0.99 each that I sliced up and put in the freezer.  So my menu will be based on a slightly smaller budget this week.  About $55 instead of $75. Monday : Runzas Tuesday : Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green salad Wednesday : Corned beef, fried eggs, Brussels sprouts, rice = Hubby's favorite meal! Thursday : Chickpea curry and rice Friday : Black bean burgers with sweet corn Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Ham and potato casserole

Monday : Asian corn cakes, sweet potato casserole, rice Tuesday : Hot roast beef sandwiches Wednesday : Pancakes for supper! Thursday : Oriental chicken in the crockpot, broccoli, rice Friday : Chili Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Chicken curry, rice

I had my meal plan ready, just forgot to schedule it for Monday! :-) Monday : Labor Day meal with family, supper is popcorn, sliced cheese, fruit Tuesday : Personal pepperoni pizzas Wednesday : Grilled chicken with acorn squash and rice Thursday : Potato soup with fresh sourdough bread Friday : Chicken enchiladas Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Grilled cheese and fresh tomato soup

Last week's meals got juggled around a bit and we ate out a couple days, so there are some repeat meals on this week's menu! Monday : Creamed tuna on toast, cantaloupe Tuesday : Asian beef and noodles with stir fry veggies Wednesday : Spaghetti, garlic toast, carrot and celery sticks Thursday : Black bean burgers Friday : Ham and eggs with potatoes Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Personal pizzas

Our CSA got hit by a terrible hail storm the end of last week.  Our week's share was completely destroyed.  Thankfully, none of the farmers' main buildings or animals were harmed! Monday : Eggs, homemade hashbrowns, sausage Tuesday : Chicken parmesan, salad, french bread Wednesday : Black bean burgers, mozzarella, lettuce, salsa Thursday : Meatballs, broccoli, rice Friday : Chicken stir fry Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Creamed tuna on toast Despite needing several higher priced items all at once, I did well staying within my budget this week!

This week I built my menu around the fresh produce in my kitchen (mostly from our CSA shares) that needs to be used before it goes bad! Monday : Eggplant parmesan Tuesday : Burritos featuring crockpot refried beans and fresh garden salsa Wednesday : Pasta salad Thursday : Grilled chicken and patty pan squash Friday : Beef stroganoff Saturday : leftovers Sunday : Chicken fried rice with carrots The eggplant parmesan will be an "experiment" meal since I've never made (or even eaten!) it before.  Most of my experiments are passable, not all are enjoyable. What are you eating this week?

To keep myself from wandering aimlessly around the grocery store, spending twice as much as planned, and coming home without half the things I needed, I decided to get myself back into the habit of planning meals for the week before I go shopping! We have a budget of $75 per week for the four of us.  Hubby's lunches are very dull...he prefers the same thing day after day.  I typically eat leftovers for my lunch while the kids eat simple sandwiches, bits of cheese, and animal crackers for dessert.  That leaves just suppers to be planned. Monday : Spaghetti, garlic toast, carrot and celery sticks Tuesday : Pot roast, potatoes, corn Wednesday : Nachos Thursday : Asian beef and noodles Friday : Meatballs, mashed potatoes, broccoli Saturday : Leftovers Sunday : Italian chicken tenders, rice, green beans This week I have most of what I need on hand, so I plan to use the remainder of the budgeted amount to lay in a supply of canned goods that are on sale.