Meal Planning Part 2

Week 1-2 of Meal Planning

 

Last time I started talking about how I've started planning our meals for the whole month. Now I'm going to share two week's worth of meals, recipes, and a shopping list! I have a good collection of about 12 recipes that are my "go-to's". They are easy, inexpensive, and our family loves them. For February, I planned lots of meals like this because I'm still getting used to mommy-hood. Also, as mentioned in my last post, I cook enough at once so that we can eat that for supper two nights! If you're family doesn't do leftovers, you'll have to add in some extra meals.

 

 

Week 1

Day 1/2: Baked Spaghetti

Day 3/4: Taco Night

Day 5/6: BBQ Chicken and vegetables

 

Week 2

Day 1/2: Chili with cornbread

Day 3/4: Stir Fry

Day 5/6: Taco Night

 

For the 7th day of each week, we either did a special date night at home with steak that we already had in the freezer or ate a freezer meal that I had made before our son arrived! Those have been so nice to have.

 

Shopping list for this round

Cost: Approximately $45 (I shopped at Aldi for the majority of the list)

• 2 lbs. ground turkey (use whatever ground meat you like/that's on sale)
• 1 bag of frozen chicken breasts or chicken breasts in bulk (you wont need it all this time, but will use it for the next half of the month)
• 1 package of smoked sausage
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 4 cup package of shredded cheddar cheese or block of cheddar to shred yourself
• Frozen vegetables of your choice (broccoli and green beans are our favorite)
•  2 cans of chili beans
• 1 package of chili seasoning
• Ingredients for cornbread (I have these on hand) or a package of box cornbread mix
• 3 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 onions
• 2 packages of taco seasoning
• 1 large jar of your favorite salsa
• Tortillas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Recipes



I apologize for not having pictures. Meal time isn't what it used to be with a newborn! I will try by best to have some next time! :)

 

Baked Spaghetti: Cook noodles and brown 1 lb. ground turkey. Once turkey is completely cooked, stir in jar of spaghetti sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. Make alternating layers of  noodles and meat in a 9 x 13 dish. Top with 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes! Steam broccoli or have a salad on the side. This meal is also HUGE. So we sometimes eat it for 3 nights and/or have lunches.

 

Taco Night: This is possibly our favorite meal to have! It's so easy! Cook chicken breasts (I usually do 2-3 depending on size) in the slow cooker with 1/2 the jar of salsa, taco seasoning, and black beans for 2 hours or until chicken is done. Take the chicken out and shred with two forks. Put back in the slow cooker and stir together add 1 cup of shredded cheese before serving. Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings. We sometimes put the mixture inside of a tortilla and grill/cook in a pan for a quesadilla instead!

 

BBQ Chicken: Another family favorite... cook chicken breasts in slow cooker with 1 bottle of BBQ Sauce. Take chicken out and shred. Serve with vegetables and rice or on a bun.

 

Chili: Dice and saute 1/2bell pepper and 1 onion. Brown 1 lb. ground turkey in a soup pot. Add 2 can of diced tomatoes, 2 cans of chili beans (don't drain!), and package of chili seasoning. Let simmer for 30 minutes. This can also be cooked in a slow cooker. Top with cheese and serve with cornbread!

 

Stir Fry: Cut smoked sausage into bit sized pieces. Slice 1/2 bell pepper and 1 onion. Saute sausage, pepper, and onion until the sausage browns. I serve this with brown rice. Sometimes I also add some kidney beans and Cajun seasoning.

 

The shopping list is the BASICS for the suppers. I always have a few things on hand that I can throw together like brown rice and whole wheat pasta, frozen vegetables of all kinds, flour and cornmeal for breads, seasonings and spices. These things help me make meals more flavorful and filling.



Super Easy (and Delicious) Chili!

Recently I was watching Master Chef and one of the contestants was called "stupid" for trying to make chili in an hour. But really, not many people have 5 hours to let chili simmer. And, who doesn't love a big pot of chili? The way the aroma fills the house is intoxicating. Chili is one of my husband's favorite foods. He could eat it everyday. Now, don't get me wrong. I love chili, but I find it really hard to eat when it's 100 degree outside. However, the past few nights its been cooling off a little more than normal. So this Monday night, after coming home late because of Open House at work, the cool air hit me and I knew what I had to make! My hubby has been craving my chili and I knew that this was the perfect night to do it before it gets too hot again! 

This chili is very tasty, but most important very, very easy. As I mentioned, I made this after Open House at school and after working 14 hours!

Here's what you'll need:

1 medium bell pepper

1 medium red onion

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

1 package of chili seasoning

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 regular can of diced tomatoes

1 regular can of chili beans

Salt and pepper

 Chop your onion and bell pepper and begin cooking in the pot in about 1 tbsp. of olive oil. You can use whatever color bell pepper that you like. We had red and yellow from our garden that were delicious, but green would be just as good. Add dash of salt and pepper. At the very end, about 1 minute before the next step- add chopped garlic.

 The rest of the ingredients you need. When I went to the store last, the garlic didn't look too hot, so I got the jarred kind. One tsp. = one garlic clove. Super easy!

 After the vegetables are tender, add the ground meat. Cook until mostly brown and then add the package of seasoning. Mix well and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.

 Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and chili beans. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Of course, the longer you simmer, the better it gets!

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, cornbread, etc.

Did I mention- if you use lean beef or turkey- this meal is also a VERY healthy meal?! 

Once the weather cools down more, there will be lots of chili simmering away at our house. I hope that you find this recipe as easy as I do!

Company Green Beans

 Green beans can be really boring. These are my company green beans because they are good enough for company... and far from boring. This recipe feeds about 3-4 people. It can easily be doubled/tripled depending on how many people you're trying to serve.

To make this recipe, you'll need:

Green Beans (You can use fresh or whole frozen beans, if using frozen make sure you thaw them out all the way)

1 garlic clove

1 tsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper 

1 tbsp. slivered almonds

 

 Wash your beans and let them dry.

 

 In the mean time, chop one clove of garlic into small pieces. You can also use the garlic in a jar. Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat.

 Start cooking the garlic in the oil for about 3 minutes. Garlic burns really easy, so make sure to stir often.

 Make sure your beans are very dry by placing them between two paper towels. 

If you don't like pieces of garlic, you can use a slotted spoon to remove the pieces from the oil. Most of the flavor has been infused into oil. You can also leave the garlic. It works either way! Now you're ready to add the beans. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper on the beans. Stir and saute for about 10 minutes. Add almonds and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes.

 Put in a serving dish and you're ready to enjoy!