Wooohoooo! The polar vortex seems to have come to an end and temperatures are rising. Okay, so it’s just barely over zero but considering it was nearly -40 at one point in the past week, I’ll take it!
In other news, my little Moonpie seems to have decided that he’s going to make some big leaps in walking. He was doing a step here and a step there but now, he’s toddling his way 5 or 6 at a time. It won’t be long before we’ll all be exhausted trying to keep up with his running through the house!
Speaking of trying to keep up with him, he has decided to try turning the living room into a parkour course. He’s constantly trying to scale the furniture and leap from one to the next. Fortunately, he also really enjoys his afternoon quiet time with Meemaw while his parents are at work so I get a reprieve now and then. His favorite books of the moment are Each Peach Pear Plum and Llama Llama Red Pajama. He likes for me to chant the first page of each of them over and over again while he dances and “snaps” his fingers!
Now on to this week’s menu plan. If you love chicken wings or ribs, you are in luck. They are on sale in every major grocery store. There are also a lot of foods used in Chinese cooking available at a deal because of Chinese New Year.
WEEKLY MENU PLAN
YOUR GUIDE TO THE MEALS IN MY MENU PLANS:
FF = FREEZER FRIENDLY
SC = SLOW COOKER
MF = MEAT FREE
PLO = PLANNED LEFTOVERS
MA – MAKE AHEAD
BBQ – GRILLED FOOD
I’m also planning extra simple meals on Saturdays and Sundays so that we truly can take a Sabbath and spend some time focusing on family and fun!
This Week’s Meals
You will find that most of these meals are under $10 based on prices (sale prices where possible) in London, Ontario, Canada. We are feeding a family of 4 – 3 adults and 1 toddler, all with healthy appetites. We generally have some leftovers from our meals and if these aren’t being used as part of another meal, they are used for lunches throughout the week.
Prices are based mostly on those at No Frills and FreshCo, the two grocery stores we frequent most often. Lately, Food Basics and Shoppers Drug Mart have had a few good deals and they are very close to our home too. Note: at this time of year, we are mostly using frozen vegetables as they tend to be better quality and have more nutrients than fresh.
We’re mostly using items we already have on hand this week. Most of the deals weren’t really for food we would use. Butter, pasta, and sweet peppers are all on sale at Food Basics this week so we’ll be taking advantage of those deals.
No Frills has my favorite (next to cotton candy grapes) Black Sable grapes on sale so I’ll be splurging on those. I’m adding a box of Cap’n Crunch so we can have Cap’n Crunch chicken in the next couple weeks. Bars of cheese and shredded cheese are also there for a good price. Finally, they have stewing beef for $5.47 lb. Stew is a great way to stretch a meal because of the addition of all of the vegetables and can be stretched even further with some dumplings.
Monday
Sheet Pan Supper: Honey garlic sausage, apples, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts. (SS) Drizzle with 2 T. of honey and 2 T. of olive oil. Pop in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes. Serve with this sauce: 1/2 cup marmalade (melted), 1 T. soy sauce, 1 T. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. ginger paste, and 1/2 cup ketchup.
Tuesday
Using leftover chicken (saved from Sunday) for chicken quesadillas. (PLO) We’ll put out any bits and bobs of leftover produce and so on so that people can build their own. One of my wacky, but delicious combinations, is sweet corn, spinach, pineapple, chicken and extra cheese. Served with salsa and sour cream.
Wednesday
Breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes. Fruit salad.
Thursday
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs with Spaghetti, Caesar salad, crusty bread
Friday
Make your own mini pizzas (MF) (SS) (my favourite combo is cheese, potato, spinach, sweet potato with a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar but any vegetarian toppings that you like could be used). My family will probably add some leftover meat to theirs. Tossed salad.
Saturday
One Pan Taco Skillet with Tortilla Chips, (SS) sliced peaches
Sunday
Red Wine* Rosemary Garlic Butter Marinated Beef Roast, (PLO – leftovers will be used next week), mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrots (cooked with the roast). Yorkshire pudding (*Really delicious with non-alcoholic wine too!)
Technically, this meal exceeds the $10 dinner limit (the roast itself was $14.87) but there will be leftovers that we’ll use next week.
Breakfasts and Lunches
Leftovers
Canned soups. Frozen soups and chili.
Eggs
Pancakes (we always have mix on hand)
Oatmeal
Cold cereal
Yogurt
Toast with jam and goat cheese or peanut butter
Sandwiches – lunch meat or chicken or cheese or cucumber and onions, selection depending on what’s on hand and on sale that week
Salads
What is on your menu for this week?
Looking for some super quick and easy meals? Check out these delicious 15 minute main dish recipes.
Save time and effort with 20 Easy Meals Using Rotisserie Chicken
Here’s a full 30 days worth of quick, easy, and inexpensive main dish ideas here.
You can find more of my menu plans here.
And check out more meal plan ideas over on Menu Plan Monday at Orgjunkie.com
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