Monday, October 19, 2009

Menu Planning

WARNING: RANT AHEAD!

Do you know there are websites where you pay a monthly fee for someone else to give you a menu and list??? Years ago I joined one because I was lost in the sea of confusion every night when it came time for dinner I had gone to the store, bought what looked good and when it came time for dinner I was lost. Oh I had food in the pantry, fridge and freezer but nothing to make!! I had taco seasoning and shells but no lettuce, tomato ect... because when I reached for the pack of seasoning I told myself I would go back to the other end of the store to get these things but I had forgotten or we had used them the night before because the only thing I cold think to make was baked chicken and salad. So I signed up for one of these thinking it would solve all of the problems in my life! LOL I ended up with a weeks worth of recipes where half of the things my family didn't like and the ones that were a hit there was never enough made because I had followed the plan. I did get something out of it though, I walked away with the "you big sucker" feeling that made me start my recipe databases. In the coming weeks I will post a few others so you can see what works for me. It may not be exactly what will work for you, but any ideas you get from me come without the monthly fee! :o) And that has to be a good thing!

Since seeing the light, I have been a big fan of my own menu planning, being a one income family with some boys that eat us out of house and home this is a necessity for our budget. Going to the store without a list in hand can mean an extra 200 bucks a month on groceries. I don't know about your wallet but mine can't handle that kind of bump.

As the price of food keeps going up I have had to get a little more creative. I have started a database grouping the meals my family enjoys, the ingredient list and the approx cost and then dividing them into price categories. Depending on where you shop your cost may be greater or less than mine. I do not add things that I always have on hand so that I can just copy and paste when I go to make my shopping list for the week. I do add some things under the recipe name that I usually have on hand but I need to double check.

Another little saving tip... things that you use a lot, make a lot and freeze. In our house we use a lot of red gravy, red sauce, marinara sauce what ever you want to call it, So I make HUGE batches and divide it up and freeze it. Same with roasted garlic paste, chicken or beef stock. This saves me time and money. If I have the red gravy in my freezer I have made the whole batch, usually 10-12 meals worth of use for about 7 bucks (thanks to Sams). Now, if I don't have that pre made in the freezer, I have to spend anywhere from 2-5 dollars every time I need a pasta sauce, or a base for chili, pizza sauce ect... That little bit of time and money has saved me. And because I made it I know it is going to be what my family likes (no sugary sweet sauce in this house... eeeek lol).

So here is an example of what my food budget planning looks like. I like that I can copy and paste the ingredient side into another document print and I am off to the store without a lot of fuss and muss. It is amazing how easy things start to work when you find a system that works for you! Forgive any spelling errors I cut and copied this straight from my file and I don't spell check cause I know what I meant when I typed it out! Plus they always highlight any foreign/shortened words :o)


COWBOY DINNER

(CROCK POT BEEF TIPS, PINTOS AND ROASTED POTATOES)

($6-8)

Beef tips

1 onion

Dry beans

Beef stock (from freezer)

Onion

4 potatoes

RIGATONI W/RED GRAVY

**need parm on hand**

($8-10)

2 boxes rigatoni

Onion

Garlic

2 large cans tomato sauce (or from freezer)

Crusty loaf

PAELLA

**need saffron on hand**

($8-10) **2 meals**

Rice

Chicken thighs

Choizo

Frozen peas

Onion

Garlic

Green pepper

Chicken stock (from freezer)

FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN THIGHS

($5-7) **meal plus left over**

Rice

Onion

3 eggs

Scallions

Frozen peas

Chicken thighs

MINESTRONE W/ PANINIS

($10-12) **lunch meat left over**

Penne

Cannellini beans (dry)

Carrots

Onions

Peppers

Chicken stock (from freezer)

Baguette

Ham

Provolone

CHILI

**Left over options** chili dogs, loaded baked potatoes, nachos.

($10-12) **2 meals**

Roast

Kidney beans (dry)

3 large cans tomato sauce

Onion

Crusty bread or crackers

BEEF VEGGIE STEW

**have red wine and french onion mix (homemade) on hand**

($10-12) **meal plus left over**

Roast

Frozen carrots, corn, green beans

Onion

Garlic

6 large potatoes

Beef stock from freezer

WHITE BEAN SOUP W/ CROSTINI

($6-8)

Cannellini beans (dry)

Beef stock (from freezer)

Frozen spinach (2)

Onion

Garlic

Baguette (2)

GARLIC CHICKEN AND PASTA

**parm on hand**

($8-10)

Fettuccine

Chicken thighs

Garlic (3 heads)

Chicken stock (from freezer)

Heavy cream

RED BEANS AND RICE

($6-8) **meal plus left over**

Kidney beans

Beef stock (from freezer)

Onions

Bratwurst

Rice

GREEN CHILI PORK CHIMICHONGAS

($12-15) *pork could be used for 2 meals*

Pork roast

2 cans green chilies

Tortillas

Cheese

Oil for frying

HOME MADE PIZZA

($10-12) ** left over flour/dough**

Flour

Yeast

Marinara (from freezer)

Salami

Spinach

Onion

Cheese




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