Here are 7 Menu Planning Tips For Tight Budgets that you will appreciate:

When it comes to menu planning, these budgeting tips are going to transform how you view your grocery budget. There are so many simple tricks to help you create amazing meals for your family when you are on a tight budget. This post has some of the best! Armed with a few simple tricks up your sleeve, you can provide your family with delicious meals without breaking the bank.

Create your menu with what you have on hand first.

One of the best menu planning tips is to start not with what you want to buy, but what you already have on hand. Look at your pantry, freezer and refrigerator for great starts to a meal. Utilize your on-hand items and limit your week to week expenses as much as possible focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Ask your butcher for budget cuts of meat.

Not only can you watch for the sales on meat at your market or grocery store, but you can talk directly to the butcher. Sometimes they will have meat that isn’t bad, but can be sold at a fraction of the regular price for some reason. End pieces of whole rib eyes can be found at low prices because they aren’t enough to be a “steak”. Ask for these bits and then cube for stews or braised beef dishes. Sometimes meat isn’t past the ‘best by’ date, but close to it and the butcher has to mark it down. Grab those mark downs and cook in advance to freeze for a later date or simply freeze the meat uncooked as soon as you bring it home.

Use your slow cooker.

Slow cooker or Instant Pot recipes are one of the best ways to stick to your menu plan as well as stay on budget. One of the best menu planning tips is to use those budget cuts of meat and tenderize them for amazing meals in your slow cooker or Instant Pot. A beef roast or whole chicken can feed your family several meals for half the price, but may not be as convenient or easy to cook in the oven. Use a slow cooker or Instant Pot and let them do the work for you.

Start your own garden if possible.

If you have time and space to have your own garden, this can be a huge savings for your menu plan each week. Learn to can or freeze your excess produce for future use, and use your surplus year round in your weekly menu plans.

Build around low cost staple items.

For most, this means picking up things like dry beans, rice and potatoes that are low cost but can stretch a meal further. While many would find this unhealthy, if you combine this with nutrient-dense vegetables and limit your high-fat proteins you truly can eat healthy. Focus on whole grains when possible and limit the regular potatoes and white rice.

Buy what is on sale and combine with coupons.

For sales at your market or grocery store, take the time to check your coupons and shop using those coupons on sale items. You’ll get twice as much value toward your menu plan!

Utilize one item multiple ways.

One of my favorite ways to save money is to cook dry beans in my slow cooker or Instant Pot. Dry beans can be seasoned and eaten by themselves, added to soups or chili, refried to make dips or put into burritos. This simple item can be used multiple ways for very cheap.

Related menu planning articles:

• How to Feed your Family on $50 This Week
• 20 Family Dinner Recipes that Cut Our Grocery Bill
• Easy and Cheap Dinners from a Rotisserie Chicken
• 7 Free Weekly Printable Meal Planners

Take advantage of my favorite menu planning tips that will stretch your budget even further! I’d love to hear your tips that make your grocery budget stretch farther in the comments below!

You know planning a menu is a good thing, but sometimes it only feels like another chore to cross off the to-do list. Well, end that once and for all by creating a rotating menu plan! Put your menu plan on autopilot!

How to put menu planning on autopilot:

I have not been feeling the love for menu planning for quite some time now. That makes me sad because without a menu plan, our meal time is definitely not what it should be. I’ve been resorting to quick prep meals (think frozen pizza, pasta with a jar of sauce poured over top and grilled cheese & tomato soup…) Not good! Between picky palates and no desire to cook, menu planning took a real nosedive in the last year or so. On the other hand, the grocery stores were probably quite happy, because I was spending more since I had no plan. 🙂

That brings me to today. I’m pleased to say, I’ve found a system that works for me! Actually, I’ve put menu planning on autopilot! It initially took a little bit of work upfront (still only 4 steps!), but now we’re smooth sailing and enjoying meals we love.

Step 1: Brainstorm

This part took me the longest. I sat down one afternoon and wrote down all the meals we like to eat. Our family favourites. My goal was 60 meals, but I quickly realized that was a lofty goal. In the end, I came up with 40 meals. Enough for 8 weeks of eating when I allot 5 meals a week. I like to leave 2 days free for last minute events, trying out a new recipe and Sunday dinner at my parent’s house.

Here are the meals that made the rotation. Keep in mind that they must be simple, enjoyed by all family members and not require any weird ingredients:

1. Slow Cooker BBQ Sauce Pork Chops
2. Sausage and Potato Bake
3. Waffles/Pancakes
4. French Toast
5. Chicken in basil sauce
6. Balsamic Beef Roast
7. Pesto pepperoni pizza
8. Hashay
9. Creamy chicken soup
10. Spaghetti
11. Meatballs
12. Quiche
13. Sweet & Sour chicken and rice
14. Sloppy Joe calzones
15. Peanut chicken pasta
16. Pesto pasta
17. Fettucine Alfredo
18. Balsamic almond chicken
19. Chicken Cacciatore
20. Baked Beans
21. Sesame chicken
22. Pizza
23. Perogies & Sausage
24. Lasagna
25. Melt in Your Mouth Chicken
26. Hamburgers & pasta salad
27. Sticky garlic chicken & broccoli
28. Chicken pesto stuffed shells
29. Maple pineapple ham
30. Chicken satay with peanut noodles/rice
31. Ramen Vegetable stirfry
32. Soy sauce pork tenderloin
33. Greek Chicken
34. Shredded beef sandwiches
35. Tacos
36. The Best Fried Rice
37. Hamburger soup
38. One pot pasta
39. Chicken Fajitas
40. Black Bean and Salsa Burritos

Most of these meals can be made with pantry staples, which are easy to stock up on when they’re on sale.

Step 2: Write all recipes on index cards

Now, once I picked all 40 meals, I wrote each meal down on an index card. Sometimes I wrote the entire recipe (if it was not found online or in a cookbook). Other times I wrote the name of the meal and where the recipe could be found (Pinterest, page 3 in a cookbook…etc.) I also wrote down side suggestions and any adjustments I like to make to the recipe.

Step 3: Place them all in a recipe box/binder

Next, I placed all of the index cards in an empty recipe box that I had, in no particular order. You could place the index cards in a binder with protective sheets instead, but I liked the idea of a recipe box.

Step 4: Pull out a week’s worth of meals and place in front

Here’s where the autopilot comes into play. Since I’m only choosing 5 meals a week, I pulled out 5 random index cards and placed them in the front of the box. I put a divider card behind the five recipes so I know when I’m done for the week. Once all 5 meals are made, I rotate those index cards to the very back of the recipe box.

Step 5: Repeat Step 4 over and over!

On Sunday, when I pull out the 5 meals for the week, I also create my grocery list. I write down everything I don’t already have in the pantry/fridge/freezer.

Now, you could take this a step further and look at your store flyers first to determine which index cards you should pull out for the week according to what’s on sale. For example, I may not want to make the Balsamic Beef Roast this week because I don’t have one in the freezer and I don’t see a sale at any of my local stores. However, pork chops are on sale so I’ll make the slow cooker BBQ Sauce pork chops instead.

Does that all make sense?  This system has been life changing for me! I hope it might work for you as well if you’ve been struggling with menu planning.

Have you found a menu planning system that works for you?

How to Menu Plan for the Week

Menu planning is something I highly recommend. Not only does it save money, lessens the unnecessary stops to the grocery store, but it also makes our life much easier!

Today, I’d love to share with you how to menu plan for the week.

I’m going to give you a system that will ensure you are saving money AND eating well.

While there are various ways to menu plan, what I’m showing you today, has been my tried and true system for the last 15 years.

Regardless of how you may tweak my system to work for your family, the bottom line is, you have to have a plan. Whether rigid or loose, a plan will save you hours of time and hundreds of dollars each year!

Here are the steps on how to menu plan for the week:

Step 1: Take Inventory

Scour the cupboards, the fridge, and the freezer for food items you already have. Use the items that you find as a starting point for your menu. Make a list of meal possibilities from what you find.

Maybe you have some pork chops that you picked up on sale, and you have some vegetables from last weeks shopping trip, and perhaps you always have rice on hand. Right there you could have a meal of BBQ pork chops, rice and vegetables!

By using what you already have, you will instantly start seeing savings on your weekly grocery bill!

As you are going through your pantry, fridge and freezer, mark down any staple items you need to buy more of. If you find you are low on milk, eggs or flour, for example, add these to your grocery list.

I like to jot down all my ideas on a small piece of paper titled ‘menu’ and on the other side I title it ‘grocery list’ to put down everything I need to buy. (I like to have my menu with me when I shop because sometimes I’ll forget why I’m buying something or it helps me remember to buy an item that I may have forgotten to write on my grocery list.)

Step 2: Look through the sale flyers

Quickly look through your flyers to see what deals your local stores have. Jot down on your shopping list, the things that are a great deal and you know your family will eat or use.

If you coupon, now is the time to pull out your coupons to see which coupons will make the sales a great deal. For example, maybe this week No Frills has toilet paper on sale and you also have a coupon. This makes it a no brainer purchase!

I do most of my shopping at Real Canadian Superstore as I find they usually have the best overall prices. Occasionally, I’ll pop over to a different grocery store if I see they have great deals on some things we will use. I don’t like to shop at a lot of stores each week because I find that I will end up spending more than I intended. 😉

When I find a great deal on something we use regularly, I’ll stock up as much as I can. This saves tons of money.

I try to build up a small stockpile of ingredients to work with when planning our meals so that some weeks I only have to buy the basics like milk and fresh vegetables!

Step 3: Finish planning your menu

Once you have taken inventory at home and determined which sales you want to take advantage of, write out your menu with your findings.

At this time in my life I do not plan our breakfasts and lunches.

I only plan for five dinners including side dishes, leaving one night open for leftovers and another for dinner out or a quick bowl of soup.

I also don’t give each meal a specific night to be made since I like to cook for what I’m in the mood for that particular day. I try to have at least one chicken dish, a beef dish, and a pasta dish.

For breakfast, I like to have fruit, cereals, eggs, bread and the ingredients for basic pancakes or French toast on hand. I’ll occasionally buy bacon but that’s usually only if it’s in a dinner recipe I’m using.

Lunches are almost always dinner leftovers from the night before. We rarely let food go to waste!

When you’re first starting out with menu planning, you may want to plan all three daily meals, as you don’t want to forget anything at the store. The less trips to the grocery store, the more money and time you’ll save!

Step 4: Make a final grocery list.

Now is the time when I go over my list to see if I’ve forgotten any pantry staples, milk or items needed for a recipe. I’ll also put all the items into categories according to the store layout. Produce, meats, dairy, canned goods, personal supplies…etc.

Make a list and check it twice!

Step 5: Go shopping!

I recommend going at a time of day when the store is not very crowded and you can take a time to compare prices or mark-downs. I try my best to get to the grocery store before 10:00am on Monday mornings. This is what works for me and I also find the shelves are well stocked on a Monday.

I’ve found that when the store is busy I’m more likely to hurry, therefore, I spend more money or forget something I’ve written down on my list.

You may also want to have a grocery budget and bring cash only. Using cash only forces you to stay within your chosen budget. We tend to get a lot of the same stuff each week so I know that I usually spend $125 each week, give or take.

Other useful menu planning tips:

• I like to create simple meals that do not call for a lot of ingredients as this saves on time as well as cash since I’ll most likely always have those ingredients on hand. (soy sauce, spices, etc…)

• As you are preparing a meal, you may want to double it to put one in the freezer. It’s always nice to have meals in the freezer you can pull out when you don’t feel like cooking! I do this all the time with Spaghetti sauce and taco meat.

There you have it! That is how to menu plan for the week.

Do you menu plan? If so, what kind of menu planning system works for you (monthly meal plans, weekly plans, loose plans, etc.)?

Dinner Recipes that Cut Our Grocery Bill

Planning a menu each week can be such an annoyance. Some weeks, it would take me hours to come up with enough meals for the week because I’d always try to add variety with new meals. I would scour cookbooks and Pinterest for new recipes and get distracted trying to decide if something sounded good or not. Or whether or not the rest of the family would eat it…

So, one thing that has helped us to cut our grocery budget was to create a short, go-to recipe list! I mean, we eat the same basic things for breakfast each day, why not apply the principle to dinner too?

Narrowing our meal ideas to only 20 options has made meal planning a breeze and has saved us so much money. It also reduces food waste, because I know I am making food that we all enjoy. These meals are a mix of quick & easy meals, recipes that are great for leftovers, and some a wee bit more complicated because they’re just so tasty.

So, if you want to finally stop wasting money on groceries, I’d encourage you to grab some inspiration from our go-to recipe list. Here’s what we’re eating, aside from leftover nights and super simple meals (like tomato soup & grilled cheese):

20 Dinner Recipes that Cut Our Grocery Bill:

1. Tacos – I find that one package of ground beef is enough for two meals for our family. I’ll often make it stretch further with a can of baked beans.
2. French Toast – We often like breakfast meals for dinner. I especially love to make a big batch of French toast because I can freeze the leftovers for quick breakfasts.
3. Instant Pot Beef Stew – This is so good! Since the recipe doesn’t call for potatoes, I like to serve it over mashed potatoes.
4. Spaghetti – Lately I’ve been browning ground beef, adding it to the slow cooker with a jar of pasta sauce, a bit of water and a sprinkle of beef bouillon powder.
5. Hamburger Soup – This freezes well and is enjoyed every time I make it.
6. Slow Cooker BBQ Sauce Pork Chops – Place pork chops over sliced onions in a slow cooker, then pour your favourite BBQ sauce over top. Cook on low for about 4 – 6 hours. Serve with rice or potatoes and steamed veggies.
7. Sausage and Potato Bake – Cut up potato, carrots, sweet potato, peppers, and farmer’s sausage and place in a big 9×13 baking dish. Drizzle olive oil and a dose of oregano, salt & pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes.
8. Roasted chicken – It no secret that a roasted whole chicken can stretch for many meals. I’ll often buy rotisserie chicken for a super fast dinner with veggies and potatoes.
9. Balsamic beef roast – This is another meal that stretches far or is great for feeding a crowd.
10. Quiche– a satisfying meal
11. Instant Pot Honey Sesame chicken – Delicious served with rice and veggies!
12. Creamy chicken soup – This is another delicious soup that freezes well!
13. Chicken pesto stuffed shells – My husband’s favourite meal that actually isn’t that hard to make! Great freezer meal too.
14. Ramen Vegetable stirfry – I buy the healthy ramen noodles from Costco. A great way to use up vegetables that are needing to be used up.
15. Meatballs– These are so versatile and the recipe make a ton so you’ll have plenty for the freezer.
16. Chicken in basil sauce – One of our “fancy” dinners that we enjoy.
17. Fettuccine Alfredo – An indulgence we don’t mind occasionally since we need to fatten up the kids. 😉
18. White Chicken Chili – A good twist on classic chili that again, freezes well.
19. Maid-Rite Loose Meat Sandwiches – Sounds weird but everyone loves this in our family!
20. Oven Baked Chicken Kabobs – Simple and delicious. No grilling skills required.

There you have it! The 20 family dinner recipes that have managed to cut our grocery bill! Does your family have a go-to recipe list? What are your favourite meals?

Looking for even more kitchen help especially as life gets busy? Check out this fun MEAL PLANNER – with food inventory worksheets, monthly, weekly + daily meal planning worksheets, meal brainstorming worksheets and more!

5 Reasons Why I Love Menu Planning:

Menu planning and I have had some ups and downs over the years, due to various life seasons, but I always come back to menu planning because it has SO MANY benefits.

I started menu planning when my husband and I got married way back in the fall of 2007. I was hoping it would make life simpler.

Nearly 15 years later, with mostly consistent planning, I’m finding that it does and I absolutely love it!

If menu planning seems like another chore that you don’t want, today, I’d love to tell you the 5 things that I love about menu planning!

I only shop once a week.

When I was living on my own, if I wanted to make something specific, I would go to the store that day to purchase any ingredients I needed.

If you’re anything like me, a trip to the grocery store for only a couple of things, turns into purchasing many unexpected things. Doing this a few times each week, I was obviously spending more than I needed to by going more than once a week.

With a menu plan in place, I can limit my grocery shopping to once a week because I’ve accounted for all the ingredients and staples I need based on what I already have and what’s on sale.

Less temptation to eat out.

In other words, we save money AND eat healthier by having a menu plan. But because we enjoy eating out once a week or so, I actually factor our meal out into my menu planning so I don’t buy any wasted ingredients.

I have more motivation.

Cooking isn’t my favourite thing to do these days. However, when I have a plan in place, I’ve eliminated a big part of the battle.

I don’t struggle for meal ideas or have any missing ingredients. I can just jump right into meal creation almost thoughtlessly. I almost get excited about making dinner, because I already know what I will be making!

You might also like: Easy Ingredient Substitutions.

We save money.

Before I menu plan, I take a quick look through the pantry, fridge and freezer to see which ingredients I have on hand. I can usually think of one or two simple meals using what I already have.

My next step is take a look in my local grocery flyers to see what is on sale. I plan some more meals based on what’s on sale.

With both of those strategies in play, I am less tempted to impulse buy because I know I won’t need that item.

I also like to make plenty of dinner so that there is enough leftover for lunches the next day. This helps eliminate the need to eat out for lunch!

It’s a good use of my time.

It takes me less time to plan a weekly menu plan then it does to think up a meal each and every day at meal time. I’m a big fan of using my time efficiently. 😉

There you have it, 5 reasons why I love menu planning! Do you menu plan?  If so, why do YOU menu plan?

How to Make an Inexpensive Healthy Meal Plan

Are you trying to ensure your family is eating healthy? A meal plan is the best way to plan your meals and keep everything as healthy as possible. Many people can attest to the fact that healthy, fresh meals can seem way more expensive to make than their not as healthy counterparts. Today, I’d love to show you how to make an inexpensive healthy meal plan.

Buy or make a cheap calendar

First of all, the best plan of action is to write your meal plan down. It’s nearly impossible to stick with a plan unless it’s written down. I like to use a traditional calendar to write out what we will have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once you have a place to write down what you will make, you can move on to the next step.

Make a list of healthy foods your family likes

I have learned (by trial and error :)) that you will save money by buying what you know your family will eat. If your family loves bananas, apples and carrots, then spend your money buying those delicious fruits and vegetables. You can always try adding one new fruit or vegetable a week in small quantities.

Create a list of healthy meals that are inexpensive

The only way to create an inexpensive healthy meal plan is to make a list. Make a list of all the healthy meals you can think of that keep you on a budget. You may want to put google or Pinterest to use helping you find ideas. I also really like Budget Bytes for recipes! In my household, we try to stick to a main dish, veggie side, and rice/potato side. This helps keep things on budget and simple. For example, barbecued chicken with a side of mixed veggies and baked potato.

Plan Meals around Sales

This is a very effective way at saving money on your grocery bill each week! When you look at your list of family favorite meals and your inexpensive meal ideas, also be sure to look at what’s on sale that week. Pick the meals from your lists that correspond with the sales. For example, maybe oatmeal is on sale. You could buy that and eat oatmeal for breakfasts that week. Or maybe chicken thighs are on sale. Pick meals that can use those items that are on sale.

Make a shopping list

When you are meal planning healthy meals, you need a shopping list. You don’t want to forget what you need to buy and it helps keep you accountable to eat the healthy meals that you’re planning. A shopping list will help you save your sanity. Write a note in your phone or jot it down on a piece of paper. Depending on the store you shop at, you can even make a shopping list in the store app.

Stay on budget

When you’re planning an inexpensive healthy meal, try to stay on budget. You can do the math of what a meal will cost before you even head to the store. This will help you know how much you need to spend before you even spend it. For example, chicken is $3.99 a pound and you need 3 pounds to make this week’s meals. That’s rounded to $12, which can make about 2 meals for a family of 4.

There you have it, the steps to making an inexpensive healthy meal plan for your family. Take your time, create a budget, and plan each meal out. The most important part is sticking to the meal plan that you took the time to create.

If you really struggle with the idea of creating a meal plan, try out $5 Meal Plan. It happens to be my favorite meal planning service. It’s just $5 a month (the first two weeks are free!), and you get menu plans sent straight to your email along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This service allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well! If you are interested in joining for free, click here.

Related Meal Planning Posts:

• Easy and Cheap Dinners from a Rotisserie Chicken
• How to Feed Your Family on $50 This Week
• 20 Family Dinner Recipes that Cut our Grocery Bill
• Menu Planning Tips for Tight Budgets

Do you have any tips to add? Let me know all your inexpensive healthy meal plan secrets in the comments below!

Must Have Basic Pantry Staples

Having a well-stocked pantry can save you from unnecessary trips to the grocery store and eating out too often. Since I’m also cleaning out our kitchen cupboards this week, I thought I’d put together a basic pantry staples list that would be useful to have on hand at all times!

Stocking your kitchen with these basic pantry staples, will ensure you have your family’s favorite meal ingredients on hand. It also means you will almost always have something on hand to create a simple meal for busy nights or days when you don’t feel like cooking much.

These are basic, but versatile staples that are used often. They are also usually quite inexpensive and have a long shelf life if stored properly in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer.

Below my list, you’ll find a Pantry Inventory printable with blank spaces that you can fill in to suit your own needs.  I hope you like it!

Looking for even more kitchen help especially as life gets busy? Check out this gorgeous MEAL PLANNER – with food inventory worksheets, monthly, weekly + daily meal planning worksheets, meal brainstorming worksheets and more!

Basic Spices

• Salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Ginger powder
• Cumin
• Chili Powder
• Cinnamon
• Oregano
• Basil
• Parsley
• Vegetable/Chicken/Beef bouillon (Better Than Bouillon is great!)
• Vanilla extract
• Cocoa powder

Dried Goods

• Rice
• Pasta
• Oats: Quick oats, rolled oats
• Sugar: white, brown, confectioners (powdered)
• Flours: all purpose, whole wheat
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Chocolate chips/raisins
• Yeast
• Cornmeal
• Coffee, tea
• Cornstarch
• Nuts and seeds
• Dried beans
• Lentils

Canned Goods

• Tomatoes: paste, sauce, diced, crushed
• Beans: black, garbanzo, kidney, white
• Canned fruit
• Pickles
• Pasta sauce
• Canned tuna, salmon, chicken
• Jams and preserves

Oils, Vinegars and Sauces

• Oils: canola or vegetable oil, olive oil, sesame oil
• Vinegars: apple cider, white, red wine, rice, balsamic
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Soy sauce
• Barbeque sauce
• Maple syrup
• Peanut butter
• Honey

Perishable Items

• Breads: bagels, buns, tortillas
• Dairy: milk, butter, cheese, yogurt
• Eggs
• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Frozen fruit and vegetables
• Onions and garlic
• Meat, fish and poultry

Is there anything you would add to the basic pantry staples list? Let me know in the comments below!

Click on the image above to print your own Pantry Inventory list!

If you’ve spent any time at all here at Simply Frugal, then you know I sing the praises of meal planning. Taking the time to meal plan is just so sanity saving and money saving!

However, if you’re anything like me, there are seasons in life when you need all the inspiration you can get.

That’s why I’m excited to let you know that the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle is available once again for a couple of days!

I’m a big fan of printables so I’m especially excited about the Grocery Budget Binder and the Meal Planning Success Kit.

Since my daughter was diagnosed with many food sensitivities last year, I’m going to dig in first with the For Real: For the Love of Real Food ebook for some ideas.

If you want to simplify mealtimes, put unfussy (but still healthy) meals on the table, and ditch the frantic late afternoon craziness, then you’ll definitely want to check out the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle.

If you’re ready to stick to your food budget, whip up healthy meals, and quit wasting food, check out the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle before the sale ends January 27, 2021.

I think this will be a fun week in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series!  It’s all about food! Specifically, we’re going to plan our holiday menus.  You’ll want to think about:

• Christmas dinner
• Christmas brunch
• Christmas eve
• Boxing day

And well, any meal surrounding Christmas day.  My planning is quite simple.  My parents cook our Christmas brunch and dinner so all I have to do is bring the cheesecake and some baking!

For inspiration, I highly recommend taking a look through Pinterest.

While you’re planning out your dishes, be sure to start adding items to a grocery list.  You don’t want to forget anything!

To help you out, you’ll want to check out the Christmas dinner planner and grocery list that are available in the Holiday Planner, here.

Also be sure to print off the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas checklists to make sure you’re on track for the final week’s until Christmas day!

What will be on your holiday menu?  Leave it in the comments! Any food traditions you have to uphold?  How do you keep on budget?

Sign up for the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas newsletter to receive a FREE Christmas Dinner Checklist!  This checklist is quite detailed and will help you remember all the details needed for a memory filled dinner with family and friends. You’ll also receive a weekly email with each week’s “task”.

Here are the posts in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series so far:

• Create your Holiday Budget
• Plan your Gift List
• Plan your Holiday Calendar
• Order Christmas Cards
• Decorate and Plan Your Baking
• Checklists for a More Organized Christmas

Easy Ingredient Substitutions you need to see

There’s nothing more frustrating than starting to bake or cook something delicious only to find that a key ingredient is missing. Ugh! But there’s no need to scrub a recipe and sulk in frustration. If you know what you’re doing, you can just substitute it with something else! Here are some easy ingredient substitutions that are bound to be in everyone’s pantry or fridge and are sure to save the day.

Read on to see the complete list, or or by clicking on the image below. (I recommend hanging it up somewhere in your kitchen for easy reference!)

Vegetable oil

Substitute with butter, margarine, coconut oil or apple sauce

Apple Cider Vinegar

Substitute with white vinegar

Balsamic Vinegar

Substitute with apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Tomato Sauce

Substitute by mixing one part Tomato Paste and one part Water.
Or substitute with canned tomatoes and adding onions, garlic and some herbs.

Baking Powder (1 tsp)

Substitute with 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Bread Crumbs

Substitute with cracker crumbs, crushed cornflakes, ground oatmeal, or even cooked quinoa.

Brown Sugar (1 Cup)

Substitute with 1 cup white sugar and 2 Tbsp molasses.

Butter

Substitute with margarine, oil or shortening

Buttermilk (1 cup)

Substitute with 1 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar and enough milk to make 1 cup
Or substitute with 1 cup plain yogurt

Corn Syrup

Substitute with honey, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup

Ricotta Cheese

Substitute with cottage cheese or cream cheese.

Fresh herbs (1 Tbsp)

Substitute with 1 tsp dried herbs

Honey (1 Cup)

Substitute with maple syrup, corn syrup or 1 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/4 cup liquid (whatever is called for in the recipe)

Lemon Juice

Substitute with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Mayonnaise

Substitute with sour cream or plain yogurt

Wine

Substitute with beef broth, chicken broth, vegetable broth, apple cider (not vinegar), water, tomato sauce, white grape juice or non-alcoholic wine.

Yeast (1 tsp)

Substitute with 1/2 tsp Baking Soda and 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice

Rice

Substitute with Quinoa. (Quinoa also provides twice as much protein and fiber which promote a healthier digestive system.)

Eggs

Substitute with 1 Tbsp ground Flax Seeds or Chia Seeds and 3 Tbsp Water. Mix until gelatinous.
Or substitute with silken tofu.
Or substitute with apple sauce or mashed banana

Pastry Flour (1 cup)

Substitute with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch combined with enough all-purpose flour to make a cup.

Salt

Often times, substituting salt for herbs and other seasonings like onions, lemon or lime can make a dish taste really flavourful.

Sugar

Substitute with 1 and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.

I hope you find this easy ingredient substitutions list useful! I’ll leave you with the link to download a free printable PDF copy of the list, in case you missed it earlier in the post! 🙂

Related posts:

• Basic Pantry Staples List (and a Free Printable)
• How to Build a Frugal Pantry
• 18 Food Items You Should Always Keep in Your Pantry
• How to Make a Meal With What’s Left in your Pantry

I don’t know about you, but all this cooking at home has me constantly looking for shortcuts. While I don’t hate cooking, I don’t like spending hours upon hours in my kitchen. I want easy, fast, flavorful and cheap!

That brings me to rotisserie chickens. Time and time again, grocery store rotisserie chickens have saved my sanity when it comes to dinner time. They are easy, already seasoned, already cooked, and can be used in a lot of different recipes. There are so many ways to use a rotisserie chicken!

On that note, I have rounded up a list of easy and cheap rotisserie dinners! I hope you enjoy!

First of all, if you wish, you can make your own rotisserie style chicken in the slow cooker with this recipe I found.

• Rotisserie Chicken Soup
• Chicken Parmesan Sliders
• Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• BBQ Chicken Tostadas
• Chicken Caesar Wraps
• Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken Salad
• Skinny Chicken Fajita Soup
• Creamy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
• Creamy Chicken Soup
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Tacos
• BBQ Chicken Nachos
• Rotisserie Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
• Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
• Healthy King Ranch Chicken Casserole

What are your favourite ways to use rotisserie chicken?

This season is all about outings, get-togethers, swimming, and vacations! There are more opportunities to spend more time with your family and friends. Catch up, enjoy, and explore new locations!

Of course, any summer activity would not be complete without food!

If you want healthy and home cooked meals, you don’t need to spend a lot of time (Who has extra time in the summer anyway?) The secret is all about meal prepping. You can create different meals for different times of the day without the hassle and without overspending on take out.

If you want to create a meal plan this summer for your family, here are 10 quick and easy meal prep ideas that will help.

Create A Plan

Decide on the different kinds of food that you want to prepare ahead of time. Take note of all the recipes you want to prepare and cook for the whole week. Then write down all the ingredients you need on your shopping list.

Start Multitasking

Cook multiple recipes at the same time. You can roast summer vegetables while baking chicken. This will allow you to get things done faster.

Don’t Over Prep

Don’t prepare meals for five days or more at one time. Some foods, such as fresh summer produce, may not last for more than three days in the fridge and you might end up with a lot of spoiled, wasted food.

Use Your Grill

Summer is often too hot to turn on the oven because it heats up the house. Instead, prepare meats and vegetables to cook outdoors on the grill, after all summer is time to grill! Schedule some barbecue nights and grill fresh summer vegetables. They not only taste great, you can relax on a warm summer evening with your family while grilling outside.

Be sure to cook up plenty of meats so you have leftovers for other nights!

Prepare Raw Food

Vegetables like zucchini and cucumber can not only be paired with different fruits and veggies, it can make you feel cooler, especially during the hot summer months.

Spiral some zucchini and cucumber then blend them with basil pesto for a vegan pasta recipe. You can also schedule some no-cook options like canned corn, beans, and green salads to spice up your weekly schedule.

Utilize Your Slow Cooker

You might think that your slow cooker is only for winter, but this multipurpose appliance is also ideal for summer cooking!

You don’t need to heat up your whole house while waiting for your lunch or dinner to be cooked. Start making large batches of shredded meat or beans then freeze them in smaller portions. You can also cook potatoes, corn, and carrots in your slow cooker.

The Instant Pot is also ideal for summer cooking!

Glass Over Plastic

Plastics can be cheaper but using glass containers are better. Here are just a few of the many reasons why you should choose glass over plastic containers:

• The contents are easier to see.
• You can microwave them.
• The taste of the food will not be altered, even if you leave them in the container for several days.
• Glass doesn’t release any chemicals when exposed to heat, thus making it safer for your family’s health.

Reuse Leftovers

Make extra servings of your meals for dinner then eat the leftovers for breakfast or lunch. My husband loves taking leftovers to work!

Reusing leftovers makes it easier to plan your meals because you don’t need to think about the food you’ll eat for lunch every day. It also eliminates wasted food and cleaning out the fridge.

Buy The Best Bread You Can Get Your Hands On

Did you know that all the outdoor activities of summer can cause you to feel more hungry and more often?

Opt to get whole grain breads, especially if you’ll be having sandwiches for any of your meals. Look for a bread that is made with 100 percent whole grain. Bread with lots of texture makes you feel like you are eating an actual meal, which can make you feel fuller, faster, rather than just eating a sandwich.

Cook Once A Day

Prepare all your food in one go then store them in your glass containers so you can just heat them up once your mealtime comes.

Check your schedule then look for a block time when you can cook and prep your meals on a daily basis.

Stop spending a lot of time thinking and prepping your meals for the whole week. With enough preparation, you can feed yourself and your family with healthy and delicious meals without spending much time or money.

What are your summer meal prep tips? Let us know in the comments below!

Looking for a simple dinner solution to get you through the summer? Enter… freezer meals!

I don’t know about you, but I want to spend time creating amazing memories and moments to cherish forever, than sweat away in the kitchen during the summer months. I’d much rather spend an hour in the kitchen getting a bunch of meals pulled together, than not have to think about or worry about what’s for dinner at the end of an exhausting day of summer fun.

It’s about more than time too…it’s about money. I know, for me, the temptation to hit the drive thru is much higher in the summer months. And that gets expensive, fast! I want your meals this summer to be simple and easy, and I know you do too.

That’s why I think you should take a look at the 100 Days of Summer Freezer Meals page that MyFreezEasy put together!

You’ll find 100 amazing recipes that go from the freezer to the slow cooker, Instant Pot or grill!

How to Feed Your Family on $50 This Week

One thing that will bring a family together are home cooked meals at the kitchen table. There is nothing better than gathering around yummy food, while conversing about life, with your family members. Unfortunately, feeding your family does not come cheap. Here are some great tips to help you feed your family on $50 this week, whether you are tight on cash, or just simply looking to be a little more frugal.

Take Inventory

Take inventory of what is already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. You could make a simple list using a notebook, so that you have it as you sit down to make a shopping list and meal plan. No need to buy tomato sauce if you already have some in the pantry!

Use Store Rewards

I like to collect PC Optimum points because the points turn into cash that I can put towards my grocery bill. I just recently redeemed $30 so that was a nice chunk of change off that grocery bill! There are many other store reward programs out there that may be worth trying out if it means savings for you!

Use Grocery Rebate Sites

I like Checkout 51 and because I can just upload my receipt and go. I have 7 days from the time I shop to upload, and I can combine rebates from all 4 sites from 1 receipt to maximize savings! Ampli is also great if you don’t mind connecting your debit and credit cards to a secure app! Use the promo code AMPLI5 to get $5 for free!

Shop the Right Places

Being able to feed your family for less, means that you need to be willing to shop at different stores. If you are used to shopping at higher end grocery stores that generally charge more than say, Walmart or No Frills, consider stepping outside of your box, and head into a less costly store. Set aside your reasons and any ill feelings that you may have about those stores. You certainly will not regret it after leaving the store with a little extra change in your pocket!

Meal Plan Around Flyer Sales

Meal planning is a great way to make sure you know exactly what your family will be eating every day. Knowing which meals you will be enjoying also means that you know all of the ingredients needed, and this will allow you to better stick to your budget of $50. Just make sure that as you plan your meals, that you are scoping out the flyer sales and planning your meals around what is on sale and what you already have at home.

Use Cheap Fillers

When you have a tight food budget to stick to, you will find that rice and beans will become some of your favorite ingredients. Rice and beans generally do not have much flavor, so they can be added to almost any meal, even if it is just as a side that you season with salt and pepper. However, the other great thing about rice and beans is that they are cheap fillers in things like tacos, soup and chili! This means that you will feel fuller after eating them. Dry beans will be your best value, so don’t be afraid to use them!

Make a list of cheap meals

I’m in the thought camp that most meals can be frugal meals if you purchase the ingredients on sale. for example, meat. Don’t buy chicken breasts if the chicken thighs are on sale. Also, take a look at the 20 meal rotation I have been doing as our meal plan lately. I’d consider most meals on the list cheap and frugal!

Stick to the same things for Breakfast and Lunch

In our house, I have a rotation going of oatmeal, pancakes, French toast, scrambled eggs and cereal all served with fruit for breakfasts. Sounds time consuming, but it’s really not because once in a while we have breakfast for dinner (pancakes/French toast) and I freeze the leftovers. We can then pop them into the toaster for a super quick, filling breakfast! Same sort of idea for lunches. Sandwiches, grilled cheese, soup, leftovers… Dinner is where most of the variety comes from!

Eat Those Leftovers!

Who wants leftovers? Most people generally are not fond of reheated meals the following day. However, eating leftovers is a great way to help you stick to your weekly food budget. If your family cannot handle the same meal twice in one week consider turning your leftovers into a new meal by turning it into a soup or stew, or adding new flavors or vegetables to it. Taco Tuesday can become taco salad (or taco soup) Wednesday. I especially love to freeze leftovers like spaghetti sauce. Makes for a super easy meal on a rushed night.

Feeding your family on $50 this week really comes down to being creative as much as it does frugal. People do what they have to do to survive and you, my friend, can totally make this work for your family. What tips do you have to add?

Related Grocery Saving Tips:

• How to Cut your Grocery Bill without Sacrificing
• Dollar Stretcher Tips for Grocery Budgets
• Buy This, Not that at the Grocery Store
• 7 Tips for Grocery Shopping on a Budget
• 5 Budget Friendly Meals to Save your Grocery Budget

Welcome back to the Eating from The Pantry & Freezer Challenge!  Here’s what it’s all about or you can read the post from Week 2.

Here’s my update from last week

I took a little hiatus last week since we had family visiting and we were all over the place! We feasted on burgers, hot dogs, pizza… all the healthy stuff 😉 Needless to say, we still have quite a bit of stuff in our pantry and freezer!

This week should be different so we should be going through quite a bit of stuff.

Getting creative with what you have left

At this point in the challenge you may have come to a point where you need to be creative when it comes to using up what you have an abundance of and filling the spaces of those things you wish you could go out and buy.

There are a few great websites out there that will come up with some recipes for the ingredients you already have on hand.  All Recipes is one of them.  Simply input the ingredients you have and the ingredients you don’t have and it will pull up a list of recipes you could make!  Recipe Matcher, Supercook and Ingredient Chef are also good resources!

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Since not many of my planned meals got made last week, you’ll see some recycled meals on this week’s menu.

Monday:

• Breakfast:  Refrigerator oatmeal
• Lunch:  Smoothies
• Dinner: Asian Vegetable Pasta (with chicken and using healthy ramen noodles from Costco), artisan bread in the slow cooker

Tuesday:

• Brunch: Waffles or pancakes
• Dinner: Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour meatballs, mashed potatoes, veggies

Wednesday:

• Breakfast:  Banana chocolate chip muffins, yogurt, fruit
• Lunch:  Leftovers
• Dinner: Oven roasted Sausage, potatoes, carrots and peppers

Thursday:

• Breakfast:  refrigerated oatmeal
• Lunch:  Potato soup
• Dinner: Quiche, salad

Friday:

• Breakfast:  muffins, yogurt, fruit
• Lunch:  Egg salad sandwich
• Dinner:  Chili Rubbed Pork Chops with Lime, Roasted potatoes, steamed veggies

Saturday:

• Brunch: Bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, toast
• Dinner:  Leftovers

Sunday:

• Breakfast:  French Toast from the freezer with strawberries and whipped cream
• Lunch: Leftovers
• Dinner:  At my parents

Now it’s your turn, what’s your update and what will you be eating this week?

Welcome to the second week of the Eating from The Pantry & Freezer Challenge!  Here’s what it’s all about or you can read the post from Week 1.

Here’s my update:

As it seems with all my weeks, not every meal I had planned got made.  Things just come up or we have more leftovers than we thought!

But I did manage to rid our freezer of a few things!  Some taco meat is gone, a couple of bags of frozen fruit are gone, along with quite a few frozen bananas.

Here’s what we’ll be eating this week:

Monday:

• Breakfast:  Banana Muffins, yogurt, fruit
• Lunch:  Egg Salad sandwich
• Dinner: Ham, mashed potatoes, corn (didn’t get made last week)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast:  Scrambled eggs with yogurt
• Lunch: Potato soup using leftover ham?
• Dinner: Cheesy Beef & Rice

Wednesday:

• Breakfast:  Refrigerator Oatmeal
• Lunch:  Potato soup using leftover ham?
• Dinner:  Baked Ravioli

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Banana muffins, yogurt, fruit
• Lunch:  leftovers
• Dinner: Leftovers

Friday:

• Breakfast: Refrigerator oatmeal
• Lunch:  Smoothies
• Dinner: We will have family in town so maybe a BBQ but I’m not setting anything in stone

Saturday:

• Brunch:  French Toast
• Dinner:  We will have family in town so I’m not setting anything in stone

Sunday:

• Breakfast:  Oatmeal/cereal, yogurt, fruit
• Lunch:  Egg salad sandwich
• Dinner:  We will have family in town so I’m not setting anything in stone

Now it’s your turn to share your menu plan with the rest of us!  We’d also love to hear your progress and savings report!

It’s time to start the Eating from the Pantry & Freezer Challenge!

I told you last week that I’d be sharing my goals and plans, so here’s what I’ve got in mind:

My number one goal is to clean out the pantry and freezers, especially the freezers!  It seems like we’re always throwing stuff out because it gets lost for far too long. 🙁

Also, I think it’s important to say to make this challenge your own.  Decide what will work best for you to help you clear out your pantry and freezer while still making it a challenge.  Maybe this means you won’t be buying any household items (toilet paper, toothpaste..etc) because you really do have enough to get you through until the end of the challenge. Or maybe you realize that you have a ton of stuff to go through so you can actually do the challenge for 5 weeks.  Make it yours!

Now, how am I going to make this happen?

I took inventory of our pantry and freezers (and discovered that I don’t have as much meat as I thought)!  Here’s what I’ll be working with:

• Some shredded chicken
• a couple of packs of Ground beef
• Taco meat
• Ham
• Shrimp
• Pulled pork
• Plenty of flour, oatmeal, rice, pasta, quinoa
• Lots of dried beans and lentils
• Lots of frozen fruit (peaches, strawberries, mixed berries, raspberries)
• Frozen vegetables
• Chicken nuggets/fries
• Puff pastry
• Crackers
• Apple sauce
• Premade butter chicken and Coconut curry (No one will eat it but me!)
• Frozen bananas
• And lots more!

I’m actually quite shocked at how much I found and I’m sure I could do this challenge for longer than I have planned!

Don’t forget to join the Simply Frugal Pantry Challenge Facebook group!  I want it to be a place where we share meal inspiration, tips and more!

Here’s what we’ll be eating until next Sunday 

Wednesday:

• Breakfast:  Oatmeal
• Lunch:  Tomato soup
• Dinner: Taco bar

Thursday:

• Breakfast:  Banana muffins, yogurt, fruit
• Lunch:  Chicken noodle soup
• Dinner: Ham, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables

Friday:

• Breakfast: Overnight oatmeal
• Lunch:  Smoothies
• Dinner: Chicken in basil cream sauce, Greek quinoa, steamed vegetables

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Waffles with Berry sauce and whipping cream
• Lunch:  Cheese Quesadillas
• Dinner: Fettucine Alfredo, Caesar Salad, Raw carrots

Sunday:

• Brunch:  Oatmeal/cereal
• Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwhiches
• Dinner:  At my parents

On Monday, April 23, I’ll be back with my next menu plan!

Now, it’s your turn to share your menu plan, goals and plan of attack with the rest of us!

How to Turn Ramen Noodles Into a Healthy Meal Idea

Ditch the Packet

Some people prefer ramen noodles simply because they are cheap, cheap, cheap. Others prefer them because of the beef, chicken, or oriental flavor that comes in the package. While that packet is full of flavor, it is also packed full of sodium and MSG. Make your meal a bit healthier, by ditching the packet, and adding your own herbs and flavoring. Boil the pasta in low sodium chicken or beef broth, and throw in some pepper and herbs, like thyme, or oregano.

Use Uncooked, as a Topping

That’s right. You can eat Ramen without cooking them first! Dig the recipe for your favorite Asian inspired salad out of your recipe box, and simply swap out the Asian noodles for Ramen Noodles. Just discard the seasoning packet and break the noodles up. Add them to your salad just before serving.

Stir Fry

Instead of opting for burgers and fries, pull out a package of ramen, and some fresh or frozen veggies. Cook up chicken or beef pieces, and throw some in some veggies, with a bit of low sodium soy sauce. Meanwhile, cook the Ramen in either plain water, or low sodium beef or chicken broth. Once it is all done, simply toss it all together, and grab a bowl and a seat.

Make a Hearty Soup

There is nothing like a hot bowl of hearty soup, on a chilly evening. Gather the ingredients for your favorite soup, and toss it all in the slow cooker. When there are just a few minutes left of cooking time, add a packet or two of Ramen, minus the flavor packets, and you have yourself an easy, healthy meal.

Limit the amount you eat

Even if you dish up Ramen Noodles to be healthier, you still need to limit the amount you eat. Many carbs come from ramen noodles, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Which is why adding them to a salad as a topping or using it as a filler, is an excellent idea.

The great thing about Ramen is that it’s so inexpensive. Once you get rid of the packet and figure out how to make it into the perfect healthy dish, you are good to go.

I’d love to hear how you use ramen noodles! Let me know in the comments below!

Free Printable Weekly Meal Planners

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of meal planning (and think you should be too 😉 ). It puts deciding what to cook on autopilot all week long. No more last minute trips through the drive thru or slapping together a so-so meal that everyone will complain about anyways.

Jotting down your list of meals in a plain notebook or a scrap of paper is great, but did you know you can totally up your meal planning game? How? Well, with these 7 free printable weekly meal planners that will knock your socks off. I found some pretty amazing printables! All different kinds so there should be something to suit your specific needs.

Check them out and let me know which one is your favourite.

Free Printable Meal Planner

From Southern Plate.

This one is great because it offers spaces for planning breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus, there’s a spot to jot down some notes/shopping list.

Sticky Note Meal Planner

From Planning Inspired

I love this one! The sticky notes make it so flexible and fun! Don’t want meatloaf on Thursday? Switch it with the Tacos!

Weekly Menu Planner

From Miss Information

I like this one for its simplicity. It would be great up on the fridge! It even includes a separate shopping list that would be helpful.

Weekly and Monthly Menu Planners

From I Heart Nap Time

I love the colours on this menu planner. Tons of room to plan each meal of the day. I even love that there’s a monthly menu planner included!

Coloring Weekly Menu Planner

From Artsy Fartsy Mama

Maybe meal planning is cathartic to you? Spend some extra time each week planning and coloring with this printable!

Laminated Meal Planner

From Where the Smiles Have Been

Now, this is a great idea! Use a dry erase marker to write out your menu for the whole week with this planner. Then, once the week is over, wipe it clear and start fresh for next week.

This Week’s Meals

From Simply Frugal

This one is from yours truly! Once you sign up, the free meal planner will be sent to the email you provided. I think it’s fun and I love that there is space to jot down meals, your shopping list AND any prep work that needs to be completed! (Like remembering to take meat out of the freezer to thaw!)

Whether you’re new to meal planning or you’re just wanting to liven up the way you’re doing it, any one of these free printable meal planners will do the job perfectly.

Let me know what you think of these great free printable weekly meal planners!

PS: Looking for even more meal planning help? Check out this gorgeous MEAL PLANNER SET – with monthly, weekly + daily meal planning worksheets, brainstorming sheets, food inventory sheets, grocery lists, price matching sheets and more!

Cheap Healthy Breakfast Ideas

As the saying goes, ‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day’.  So while this is true, it can also be the least expensive and easiest meal to make of the day. With using items like sausage, veggies, eggs, and other ingredients that are easily accessible, you can easily make breakfast for the whole family for under $5.

Here are my favourite Healthy Breakfast Ideas for under $5:

1. Greek Yogurt and Fruit – You can usually pick up a tub of Greek Yogurt for under $4. Use some frozen fruit and maple syrup for a topping and you have a delicious breakfast.
2. French Toast – One of my family’s favorite meals is French toast… for breakfast or dinner ;). For some reason, we can’t get enough of it. I don’t mind because using whole wheat, I can make the French toast semi-healthy! We add fruit topping or peanut butter instead of real maple syrup sometimes.
3. Banana with Peanut Butter – Is there anything more delicious than bananas and peanut butter? I think not! It also makes for a very filling breakfast for little ones. If your child doesn’t like bananas, try cutting up an apple for them. Delicious, healthy, and simple!
4. Breakfast burritos – Using low carb or whole wheat tortillas, mix up eggs, salsa, and cheese to make a yummy breakfast concoction.
5. Oatmeal – The lovely thing about oatmeal is that you can make it simple and healthy. Oatmeal is cheap and can feed a lot of people at one time. I’ve got three great recipes for oatmeal: Overnight Oats, Chunky Monkey Oatmeal or Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets.
6. Fruit salad – One of my favorite healthy meals for under $5 is taking all the leftover fruit in the fridge and mixing it together to create a fruit salad. Sometimes I add a bit of yogurt on top. Yum!
7. Veggie omelet – A dozen eggs can be bought for a little over $2. Make a yummy veggie omelet to feed your family a healthy meal for under $5.
8. Sausage and Eggs – Keep breakfast simple by making sausage and eggs for your breakfast of choice. My family never complains about this meal.
9. Homemade banana muffins – If you have old bananas in your possession, make some muffins out of them. A simple breakfast that will save you money! These are my most favourite Banana Chocolate Chip muffins.

These 9 healthy breakfast ideas for under $5 will help you stay on budget and keep you feeling great all day long. It’s easy to swing through the drive thru and get caught up in a $20 breakfast for the family. But instead, it’s just as easy to make your own breakfast at home for $5 (and stay in your pajamas!).

What healthy breakfast ideas do you have for under $5?

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Roasted Lemon Garlic Chicken (serve with rice and steamed vegetables)

Picnic Day! Best Ever Chicken Salad Sandwiches (serve with this week’s salad)

Avocado Toast (serve with chips and raw vegetables)

The Best Baked Beans (serve with raw/steamed veggies)

Parmesan Garlic Spaghetti (serve with this week’s salad)

Salad: Black Bean and Corn Salad

Dessert: No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake

Download Menu Plan #10 Here.

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Maple Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops (serve with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables)

Honey Mustard Chicken and Potatoes

Spaghetti Boats

Cheesy Bacon and Egg Hash

Grilled Thai Peanut Chicken Skewers (serve with this week’s salad and rice)

Salad: Best Sweet Coleslaw

Dessert: Mini Blueberry No Bake Cheesecakes

Download Menu Plan #9 Here.

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Worth Every Penne (serve as is or with whole grain bread)

Taco Pizza (serve as is)

Cheater Korean Beef (serve over rice with stir fried vegetables)

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops with Lime Butter (serve with this week’s salad)

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken (serve with egg noodles and steamed vegetables)

Salad: Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Dessert: Slow Cooker Blueberry Peach Cobbler

Download Menu Plan #8 Here.

To see all the free weekly menu plans, click here.

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Easiest Ever Orange Chicken (serve with rice and steamed vegetables)

Crock Pot Taquitos (serve with homemade oven fries)

Slow Cooker Pasta E Fagioli Soup (serve with whole grain bread)

Easy Pot Roast Crock Pot Recipe (serve with this week’s salad)

Ranch Chicken (serve with this week’s salad and steamed vegetables)

Salad: Arugula Salad with Parmesan, Lemon and Olive Oil

Dessert: Strawberry Brownie Dessert Kabob

Download Menu Plan #7 Here.

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Bourbon Chicken (serve with rice and steamed vegetables)

Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches (serve with homemade oven fries)

Salmon with Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce (serve with Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus)

Beef and Broccoli (serve with rice and steamed vegetables)

One Pot Kielbasa Pasta (serve with this week’s salad)

Salad: Awesome Caesar Salad

Dessert: No Bake Oreo Cheesecake Parfaits

Download Menu Plan #6 Here.

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Lemon Chicken Breasts (serve with this week’s salad and potatoes)

Creamy Chicken Quinoa and Broccoli Casserole

Beef Tacos (serve with beans, rice, tomatoes, cheese, guacamole…etc)

Slow Roasted Pork in the slow cooker (serve with rice or pasta and steamed vegetables)

Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo (serve with this week’s salad)

Salad: Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Dessert: Triple Berry Crumble

Download Menu Plan #5 Here.

To see all the other Free Menu Plans, click here.

Tips for Great Freezer Dinners

When it comes to tricks to help save time, money and stress, freezer cooking is at the top of my list. Freezer cooking can completely change the dinner time hour in your home. With a little bit of planning ahead, you can have have delicious, healthy meals for your family from the freezer instead of taking a spin through the drive through… again.

Do you find yourself constantly overwhelmed at dinner time? Help tame the dinner time madness with these tips for great freezer dinners!

Make a menu.

You hear it all the time, but that’s because it works. A menu means you can shop once and do prep work as you put the food away. You’ll probably find that you don’t have to look inside the fridge multiple times a day only to decide that thinking about what will be for dinner is just too much, again.

While I like to plan a week’s worth of meals, you may want to just plan enough meals to get you until your next shopping day. I recommend planning to double 1 – 2 meals so that you can put the extra into the freezer. Perfect for days when you don’t have time to shop or prepare a meal from scratch because of activities.

Prep before putting food away.

The fastest way to create many meals for the freezer at once, is to go shopping in the morning and spend the afternoon completing the prep work. This is great for working parents or families with a lot of activities during the week.

Chop all of the ingredients for one meal and load right into freezer bags for a complete recipe.

I’ve got a big list of freezer meals here that may interest you. Now you can pull out a bag and toss right into the slow cooker, Instant Pot, Air Fryer or oven.

Put dinner time on autopilot with MyFreezEasy!

Cook double.

When you are cooking and baking, double your recipes to cook once but eat twice! This is a great way to reduce your workload because you can cook once and clean once.

This works really well for casseroles, tomato based sauces, cookies and muffins, and soups. I love to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce and freeze the extras. The same goes for taco meat.

Cooking double is the least stressful way to build a large stash for your freezer with very little extra effort on your part. No all day cooking or menu planning but you will be building a stash of meals for busy nights.

Protect from freezer burn.

While freezer cooking is amazing for saving you time and money, you will find that things may get freezer burnt causing unnecessary waste.

To prevent freezer burn, remove air from packaging and use multiple layers around your food to keep it fresh longer. Never let air get into your packaging. Label your meals well so you do not need to open anything to find the meal you want.

Related Posts:

• Freezer Meal Planning Part One: It’s Not All or Nothing
• Freezer Meal Planning Part Two: Tools of the Trade
• Freezer Meal Planning Part Three: The Finish

I’d love to know your tips for great freezer dinners! Let me know in the comments. 🙂

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Hamburger soup (serve with whole grain buns)

Roast Beef with potatoes and carrots (serve with this week’s salad)

Roast beef sandwiches (Use leftover roast and serve on buns with raw veggies)

Chicken Caesar Wraps (serve with raw veggies)

Parmesan Garlic Spaghetti (serve with leftover chicken and this week’s salad)

Salad: Broccoli Slaw with Pecans and Cranberries

Dessert: Mini Fruit Pizzas

Download Menu Plan #4 Here.

To see all the other Free Menu Plans, click here.

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

(Note: I list a couple of recipes that use rotisserie chicken but since we’ve just celebrated Easter, feel free to substitute turkey!)

Cheesy Beef and Rice (serve with this week’s salad)

Glory Bowls

Rotisserie Chicken (serve with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables)

Loaded Chicken Tostadas (using leftover rotisserie chicken)

Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce (serve with steamed vegetables)

Salad: Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Dessert: Strawberry Banana “Ice Cream”

Download Menu Plan #3 Here.

To see all the other Free Menu Plans, click here.

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Baked Pesto Chicken (serve with rice and steamed carrots and broccoli)

Sloppy Joe’s Plus (serve with buns and this week’s salad)

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas (serve with tortillas)

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (serve with salad)

Pizza!

Salad: Tossed salad with Italian dressing

Dessert: Peeps Sunflower Cake

Download Menu Plan #2 Here.

I’m a huge believer in the benefits of having a menu plan. Not only can having a menu plan save your grocery budget, it will save your sanity as well! I love menu planning and have been planning a menu nearly every week since my husband and I got married almost 10 years ago!

If you’re all too familiar with the drive thru, having a menu plan in place will help you bring back your evening meals at home. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to throw together an unbalanced meal or go to out for fast food again. Not only will you be eating better with a plan in place, you’ll be having more fun sitting down with those you love knowing that everyone is being well nourished.

However, if you’re new to planning a menu, it can be overwhelming. That’s why I’m starting a new weekly series of free printable menu plans and grocery lists for you to use!

While I would love for you to learn how to create your own menu plans, I also love to help where I can. As a busy work at home mom, I know there simply aren’t enough hours in a day for us women to do it all. We have to pick and choose what we think is best. Something I strive for in our family, but is always a work in progress, is that we’re sitting down and eating a healthy meal together on a regular basis. Preferably to a meal I cooked at home because it’s cheaper and better for us!

This FREE Weekly Menu Plan series will help you get started cooking at home with 5 meals, 1 salad, 1 dessert and side dish suggestions that you can make on your own.

That’s five meals that you can stretch however you need. Depending on your family size, you might end up having leftovers or you might end up eating it all in one go. Adapt each recipe to suit your needs. Regardless, you’ve got 5 meals planned and and two open nights for leftovers, planned take-out or something simple like sandwiches. You’ll feel so good knowing things are planned and ready to go!

Having a menu plan in place can drastically reduce your grocery bill and save you so much trouble when the clock hits 5 o’clock.

Here’s what’s in this week’s plan:

Peanut Chicken Pasta (serve with this week’s salad listed below)

Shepherd’s Pie (serve as is or with more salad)

Baked Beans (serve with steamed vegetables and buns)

Slow Cooker Meatballs (serve with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes)

Slow Cooker Taco Chicken (serve with taco fixings: cheese, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa…etc.)

Salad: tossed salad with ranch dressing

Dessert: Caramel Sauce with apple slices

Download Menu Plan #1 Here.

I told you all yesterday that I’d be back with my list of No Spend Month Meals! The list is nothing earth shattering, but perhaps you’ll find a new recipe or two that your family might enjoy! I wrote it all down in a free monthly planner my mom picked up for me from a local realtor. 😉

So according to our favourite meals and what we already have on hand in the pantry and fridge/freezers, here’s what we will be eating this month:

Dinners:

• Hashay
• Spaghetti
• Lasagna
• Teriyaki pork tenderloin
• Glazed curry chicken from Clueless in the kitchen
• Perogies and sausage
• Tacos
• Meatballs
• Ham & scalloped potatoes
• Pizza
• Popcorn chicken and fries
• Peanut Butter Chicken
• Pizzadillas from Good Cheap Eats in 30 Minutes
• Stirfry
• Burritos
• Chicken in basil cream sauce
• Potato and sausage bake
• Teriyaki Chicken from Clueless in the kitchen
• Italian chicken (sprinkle with salt and pepper, paprika, onion powder and pour Italian dressing over top. Fry until cooked through)
• Chicken Pesto stuffed shells
• Fettuccine alfredo
• Snack party (fruit, vegetables, cheese crackers, pickles, deli meat…whatever I can find in the fridge!)

All dinners are served with vegetables and/or fruit and/or salad. Some meals will get made more than once. I will be working from the pantry as much as I can, but will be buying any ingredients that we need as well as fresh produce/dairy/meat.

Breakfasts:

• smoothies
• oatmeal
• Peanut butter toast
• Eggs and toast

Lunches:

• Egg salad sandwiches
• Chicken and wild rice soup
• alphabet soup
• Chunky Lentil and vegetable soup
• Leftovers

I’m planning on freezing some of the soups so that I can take them out all month long for easy lunches.

My youngest if really starting to get into finger foods so I want to make a batch or two of Cottage Cheese pancakes and Falafels so I can freeze some.

I’d love it if you left a comment listing at least one meal idea from the list you just made!  Don’t forget to check back to see the ideas that others have left!

This week’s Menu Plan: November 14 – 20, 2016:

Breakfasts:

• Eggs and toast
• Peanut butter toast and apples
• Waffles/cereal

Lunches:

• Leftovers
• Quesadillas and beans
• Grilled Cheese sandwiches

Dinner:

• One Pan Chicken Dinner
• Homemade Pizza Pockets, veggies
• Chicken Caesar salad
• Pulled pork buns or beef dip (anyone have a good, easy recipe for either of these??)
• Bacon and eggs, fruit
• Dinner at my parents

Once again, I’d love to know what you’ve got planned for your meals this week. Let me know in the comment section below!

Well, the verdict is in. Not having a menu plan means we don’t eat “proper” meals around here. I was feeling so drained last week that I was pulling random things out of the freezer and fridge and calling it good. While I don’t think we ate terribly, it could have been so much better if I had taken the time to plan a menu. Lesson learned…again. 🙂

Here’s the plan for November 7 – 13, 2016:

Breakfasts:

• Eggs and toast
• Peanut butter toast and apples
• Waffles/cereal

Lunches:

• Leftovers
• Quesadillas and beans
• Grilled Cheese sandwiches

Dinner:

• One Pan Chicken Dinner
• Brown Sugar & Balsamic Pork Chops, salad
• Homemade Pizza Pockets, veggies
• Teriyaki Beef Kabobs, rice, veggies
• Ramen Vegetable Stirfry
• Dinner out
• Dinner at my parents

What’s on your menu this week? Let us know in the comments!

Have you guys tried the Click & Collect from Superstore? I’ve been having fun trying it out the last couple of weeks and I absolutely love it! Such a time saver. And money saver too, I might add, since I’m not picking up random things that I ‘need’ each time! I’m definitely sold on the service.

This week I’m doing something a bit different for dinners. I came across the My FreezEasy Make One, Freeze One Challenge, so I signed up! You get to choose one free meal plan. I chose the Traditional plan. The idea is to make one dinner and double it to add one to the freezer. But I’m only going to make one to eat each night.

Here’s the plan for October 24 – 30, 2016:

Breakfasts:

• Oatmeal
• Peanut butter toast and apples
• Waffles/cereal

Lunches:

• Leftovers
• Soup
• Grilled Cheese sandwiches

Dinner:

I’m doing the My FreezEasy Make One, Freeze One Challenge for four meals. My husband requested Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells.

What’s on your menu this week? Let us know in the comments!

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