Weekly Meal Plan {3/12-3/18}

Happy Monday everyone!  Here is our meal plan for the week ahead:



Monday: 
Pork Chops - We get these from Costco for a great price and freeze most of them right away. 

• Rub each side of chop with generous salt and pepper.
• Saute in heated pan at medium-high heat in olive oil for a few minutes on each side until brown.
• Transfer to an oven preheated to 375.  Bake for 10-12 more minutes or until done. 

Sauerkraut - I am going to make my own with a great attachment piece for my Kitchen Aid mixer that my in-laws gave me for Christmas, but you can buy already made sauerkraut for a pretty cheap price to save time.

Potatoes - Mashed or baked, your choice.  (we haven't decided yet!)

Tuesday:
Pork and Baked Beans in Crockpot (note: I will significantly cut back the number of pork chops from what this recipe calls for - probably to 2-3 chops, halved or quartered)

Spinach Salad with walnuts, craisins, and shredded mozzarella


Wednesday:
Leftovers from yesterday's meal


Thursday:
Rosti - A simple Swiss potato dish. I use a recipe from Simply in Season, but this recipe is very similar and offers some helpful tips for perfecting the art of making Rosti. (note: I will use cheddar cheese rather than gruyere as this recipe recommends, simply because it is cheaper.)

Spinach Salad with bacon crumbles, vinaigrette, and hard-boiled egg slices


Friday:
OUT to eat!


Saturday:
Chili in the crockpot
Cornbread from Simply in Season (note: sometimes I like to add in creamed corn for a more creamy, sweeter alternative)


Sunday:
Leftover chili
Spinach salad
Freezer raiding for dinner (to each his/her own!)


If you haven't already, I would encourage you to check out (and consider purchasing) the Simply in Season cookbook.  It is full of many useful recipes, organized by season and featuring produce that is fresh in that season.  The recipes are simple and can be creatively adapted to your liking (often they add ideas for changing them up a bit).  It is my go-to cookbook on days that I don't know what to do with the produce I have around!

Enjoy your week!

Freezer Day

{This is a re-post of a November 2011 post on my prior blog, Rewards of the Simple Life.  It is still useful and relevant to reread today!}

I have been realizing how necessary it is for me to plan ahead with meals or at least have quick go-to meals on hand for weekday evenings.  Since my classes are often in the afternoons and evenings, I often have to pack dinner for a few days, as well as leave Ben to "fend for himself" for a few evenings while I'm gone.  All that to say, some freezer restocking was much needed!  I was inspired by this post from Money-Saving Mom to plan my own freezer/cooking day to stock up for the next few weeks.

After using MSM's model to plan out what meals I wanted to make, what ingredients I needed to buy (which involved inventorying my pantry) and then making a to-do list for my afternoon.  I decided on 5 different meal options to make, and 2 baking recipes to try.

- Broccoli Cheddar Pockets (from Food Network magazine)
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake
- Pizza Dough and Sauce
- Broccoli-Cheese Potato Soup (from Simply in Season cookbook - one of my favorites!)
- Sloppy Joe meat

- Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread
- No-Bake Energy Bites

I was ambitiously hoping to also make shredded barbecue chicken and my favorite black bean burgers, but I lost steam by evening and opted for a break instead.

I set out to work, and was amazed at how smoothly everything went with my plan in hand.  I rarely take the time beforehand to think about the order that I should cook in to make sure things get done in a good order, which leaves me frustrated later that something is cold while another thing still has hours left to bake.  My take-away from my freezer day was to continue planning out my cooking/freezer days with this method.  For me, planning = a much higher degree of success!

 After adding 5 new meal options, it seemed like I needed to have some way to keep track of what I have in my freezer so that it actually gets used! Until I can think of a more creative method, I have started a list on the side of our freezer that lists the number of each thing that we have in our freezer for quick reference.  That way, when I use something, I can cross it off and know how much I have left for the next time.

It feels so good to be organized!

Wednesday Wisdom: 6 Tips to Stay Organized while Grocery Shopping

This week for Wednesday Wisdom: 6 Great Tips for staying organized (and taking advantage of online resources and phone apps) to help you save money at the grocery store from SavvySugar.

 6 Ways to Stay Organized When Grocery Shopping

---

                                   Posted 02/20/12 2:31 PM by Emily Co

Browsing the supermarket aisle is always fun, but doing it week after week can get old, especially if you have other errands to take care of. It's important to be more efficient when shopping for groceries to avoid wasting time and potentially forgetting some grocery essentials. Here are a couple of tips that will help you be more organized:

• Keep a list. Lists are always crucial to organization, and just to make sure you don't forget anything or buy unnecessary items, document your weekly grocery needs. There are plenty of ways to do so — you can keep your own Google Doc, a text document, or a simple notepad. There are even free printable grocery lists online that let you check off which groceries you need. A good one to check out is the very detailed Ultimatest grocery list (they even have a vegetarian version).
• Use apps. Experiment with grocery shopping apps and consider keeping a running list of groceries on an app like Ziplist, which lets you sync up with lists of other people on your phone for convenience. You can even use discount-seeking apps like Grocery Pal, which shows you what items are on sale, and coupon locator apps like Coupon Sherpa or Yowza!!. The coupon apps will display bar codes, which the cashier can scan to give you the discount.
• Time it well. Pick the right time to go grocery shopping. You want to avoid going when there are crowds, because shopping and waiting in line for the cashier may take longer than usual. It's also good to go before the supermarket rush because most items will be in stock; this will prevent you from having to go back if a certain item was not available. The best dates to shop may differ depending on the grocery store, so be sure to observe your supermarket and pick up the crowd patterns. Lifehacker suggests Wednesday night as an ideal time because "many grocery stores release their new sale advertisements that day but also honor the sales items from the previous week." Personally, I like going on Saturday nights to avoid the crowds.

Read after the jump for more grocery organization tips.

Meal Plan for a Busy Week

Good morning! This week promises to be another busy one, although a little less busy than we've been lately... needless to say, the weeks are flying by!

This week, I'm posting our make-ahead meal plan for 2 featuring some wholesome comfort food for the chilly beginning to March.  Whenever I know I'm going to be particularly busy in the days ahead, I like to have a few make-ahead or low-prep meals planned so that food is one less thing to worry about each evening.  In warm weather, I usually turn to low-prep meals like salads, veggie burgers, and BLTs.  In cold weather, I like to use my crockpot or make casseroles ahead of time to have on hand when needed.  This week, I'm turning to warm, filling soup and a delicious corn and chicken casserole from a dear friend of mine from church.  Even if you're not a corn lover (like my husband...), you will love how delicious this recipe is (this one has been approved by my non-corn-loving husband!).


Monday:

Potato Soup (from Simply in Season)
- 2 TBsp butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion.  Saute until translucent.

- 3 c. potatoes, diced
- 2 cups water or broth
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 c. celery, chopped (optional - I don't include b/c I don't usually have on hand)
- 1/2 c. carrots, diced (optional)
- 1/4 tsp. paprika or celery salt
Add, cover, and cook at med-high heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.  For a creamier soup, remove some of the cooked potatoes and puree them, then return to the saucepan. (I have never done this - I like to have the whole potato chunks in the soup.)

- 2 c. milk (I usually add 1 c. skim condensed milk and 1 c. low fat milk)
- 3 TBsp. flour
Mix together until smooth. Add to soup and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

*For a variation, you can add in 1/2 lb. of browned ground turkey or beef and 1 cup shredded cheese, and then stir in 1/4 c. plain yogurt before serving to make a cheeseburger soup.  My favorite variation is to add a little cooked and crumbled bacon into the soup to add a great flavor and a little extra crunch.


Tuesday:
Leftover soup and a baguette from the grocery store or homemade from your breadmaker (my favorite!)


Wednesday:
Chicken Corn Casserole

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. celery salt

2 c. milk

2 c. corn or if you are using fresh corn, can be a bit more

2 c. cut-up cooked chicken

 

Melt butter over low heat.  Stir in flour, salt, pepper, celery salt.  Cook until smooth and bubbly.  Add milk.  Bring to boil for one minute.  If it happens to get too thick, add a bit more milk.  Should not be too thick.  Remove from heat. 

 

Combine sauce, chicken and corn.  Pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole (or 8x8 baking dish for a thicker casserole).  

 

Topping

 1 c. crushed saltine crackers

2-3 Tablespoon melted butter

 

Combine together and top casserole

with crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. 

 

* This recipe makes six servings.

 

Thursday:
Leftover Corn and Chicken Casserole and a Green Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing


Friday:
Go out to eat OR make BLTs with leftover salad lettuce and homemade or store-bought bread.  Great with a quick homemade corn, black bean, and frozen green pepper and onion salad tossed with olive oil and apple cider vinegar!

HOW TO... Preserve your lettuce a little longer

The problem with buying for just two people is that it can be difficult to get through all your perishable food items before they, well... perish!  Therefore, any tip that can extend produce's life just a little longer is worth trying in my book.  And that's how this unconventional trick came about.

How to Make Your Lettuce Last Longer

After washing your lettuce and shaking the excess water, place them in a clean pillowcase (cotton is best).  Pat dry and place it in the refrigerator in your produce drawer (if you have one).  The cotton will help the lettuce last longer than a plastic bag.  Strange, but true!  

Try it out!

5 Ways.... to Use Ground Turkey

1:  Turkey Empanadas

- Brown 1/4 lb. ground turkey in oil with one small chopped onion, 1 clove garlic, and 1 tsp. cumin in a skillet.

- Stir in 1/3 cup chopped olives (optional) and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned.

- Halve 2 refrigerated pie crusts and top with turkey mixture.  

- Fold each of the four sections in half and seal the edges with fingers and then press with a fork to make uniform.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Great with salsa and a salad for a delicious lunch or dinner!

2:  Turkey Sloppy Joes

- Brown 1 lb. ground turkey in oil with one small chopped onion and 1 clove garlic in a skillet.

- Mix in one 8-oz. can of tomato sauce, 1/4 cup BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until thick.

Serve on hamburger buns with coleslaw or a fresh salad.  Enjoy!

 3:  Pasta with Turkey and Broccoli

- Cook 3/4 lb. pasta of your choice with 2 cups of broccoli, following the directions on the pasta box for cooking time.

- Brown 1 lb. ground turkey in oil with 1 teaspoon each fennel seed and crushed red pepper and 2 cloves chopped garlic in a skillet.  Season with salt and pepper.  

Toss pasta, broccoli, 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for a delicious, wholesome meal!

 4:  Turkey Barley Vegetable Soup

- Brown 1/2 lb. ground turkey in oil, then remove. 

- Add with 1 cup chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a skillet and stir until softened.

- Return turkey to pan and add 6 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup pearl barley, and season with salt and pepper.  

- Simmer until barley is tender and add in 3 cups chopped spinach before serving.

Serve with warm bread and enjoy!

 5:  Turkey Fried Rice

- Cook 3/4 cup rice following package directions.

- Brown 1/2 lb. ground turkey in oil with 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger and 2 sliced scallions.  

- Add rice, 1 cup frozen peas, 4 sliced carrots, and 2 tablespoons each of Hoison sauce and rice vinegar. 

Cook until heated through, and top with additional scallion slices.

Serves 4 = 2 nights of dinner for two!
 

{all pictures from Real Simple}

Breakfast Sundaes

In honor of Valentine's Day, these banana breakfast sundaes are perfect for a romantic breakfast in bed.  If your weekday mornings are as busy as ours, wait for the weekend to serve these tasty treats.  With only 15 minutes of prep time, they pack a punch with little work!

Banana Breakfast Sundaes

2 oz. chocolate, chopped

2 ripe bananas, peeled and halved, then split lengthwise

2 6-oz. cartons of vanilla yogurt (or about a cup fill of vanilla Greek yogurt)

1/4 cup low fat granola

Garnish with blueberries or fruit of your choice

1.  Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on 70% power for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, or heat in a small saucepan.

2.  In bowls or mugs, place two banana quarters and top with yogurt.  Drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with granola.  Garnish with fruit if desired.

Enjoy!

HOW TO.... Make your own (easy!) homemade bread crumbs.

If you're like us, it can be hard to use a whole loaf of bread before it starts getting stale.  That's why I love this easy recipe for making your own delicious bread crumbs.  It saves you money and prevents that unused bread from going to waste! 

Making Homemade Bread Crumbs with Leftover Bread

{Source}

1. Store any old or unused slices of bread in a large plastic bag in the freezer.
2. Once the bag is 3/4 filled - full, take it out of the freezer and cut the bread into large chunks. 
3. Pulse the bread chunks in a food processor until it is fine.  (If your food processor is as small as ours, you will have to do this in several batches!)  
4. Toast the crumbs on a baking sheet (with a rim) for 4-6 minutes on 350 degrees.  Toss once while cooking.

Use for meatballs, a coating for meats, or as a casserole topper!  

(The crumbs will last for up to 6 months in the freezer if you don't use them right away.)

{From Real Simple - visit at www.realsimple.com}

Keeping Track of What's In Your Freezer

Keeping your freezer stocked with options is essential for having supplies for an impromptu dinner and for storing premade dough, leftovers, fruit for smoothies, and much more.

Over the summer I stocked our freezer with kale, tomatoes, and other veggies from our garden.  I also used it for saving meats from Ben's family and for storing meals I made ahead for busy nights during the upcoming semester.

Since that time, I've found it helpful to keep track of what we have in our freezer so that I know what I have to work with, and so that I don't overbuy.  I started by using a piece of notebook paper with a list of our freezer's inventory and hung it on our frig.  When we used something up from the freezer, we just grab a sharpie and cross it out.  This method worked but got a little sloppy with the quick scrawling and crossing out here and there.

Instead, I have begun to use this freezer inventory template from Organized Home.  It helps me to keep stock of what's in our freezer more neatly and visibly.  For each number of an item we have, I fill in the boxes with a small dot.  Once we use a serving, I cross out the box.  Once all servings of an item have been used up, I cross it out completely with a thick black marker.  Eventually, I'll start a new list to keep a clean record of what we have.
                                                                                                                            

Before

After

You can download a printable version of this freezer inventory for yourself here.

For more on organization for your kitchen, check out the tools at the 

Organized Home blog.

HOW TO... Store leftover tomato paste.

You've made those recipes that call for only 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and then frustratingly, the rest of the can is left to sit in the frig or likely, end up in the trash.  

An easy solution to storing tomato paste to extend its storage life so it doesn't go to waste?  

Freeze it.

And the easiest way to do this is by using ice cube trays.  Not only does it minimize the mess - it provides you with tablespoon-size portions to grab the next time you need tomato paste for a recipe.  

It's an easy trick:

Freezing Tomato Paste

1. Use a tablespoon measure to scoop the paste 

into each section of an ice cube tray.

 

    

    2.  Pop the tray into the freezer.

    3.  When the cubes are solid, transfer them to a
plastic freezer bag and store in the freezer.  

    4.  When you need a serving of tomato paste for a recipe, you can grab the paste and add to recipes without thawing first. 

    * For a variation, you can mix a tsp or more of pesto into each cube before freezing.  

Enjoy!

Dinner Plan for a Busy Week

As a feature of this site, I will be sending out weekly meal plans via email to all the subscribers of our newsletter through Google Friend Connect.  To sign up for our Budget Cooking for 2 weekly dinner plans,  all you have to do is sign up in the right sidebar with Google Friend Connect.  The plans will be sent to your inbox each Monday morning - and it's all free!  (See the bottom of this post if you have trouble locating the Newsletter Subscribe button.)

 

Below is a close-up look at a model of a simple dinner plan for a week when you know will be busy with work, classes, evening activities,  etc.

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Thank you for signing up for the Cooking for 2 weekly newsletter from Married Living on a Single's Budget!

Each week you will receive an email in your inbox on Monday mornings with a dinner plan for the week.  This is a plan that we have followed ourselves at some point (and approve of!); therefore, they are taste-tested, but they are created for our portion preferences, etc.  Once you figure out how your preferences/appetites relate to ours, you can adapt the recipes/amounts as needed.



Each week will include:

• a basic layout of each day and its dinner,
  
• a grocery list,
  
• a list of staples you may already have for these meals,
  
• and recipes for each meal (if needed).

Enjoy, and pass it on to a friend!

Weekly Plan

Monday: Beef/Barley Soup with Bread and Salad

Tuesday: Leftover Soup with Corn Muffins

Wednesday: BLT Sandwiches (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato in a Grilled Sandwich - I like to add cheese and sweet mustard to ours)

Thursday: Stuffed Peppers (can also be made with zucchini) and bread

Friday: Out to Eat

Saturday: Turkey Sandwiches and Sweet Potato Fries

Sunday: No-Cook Day!! Eat popcorn, fruit, and yogurt for a light meal, skip right to ice cream for dessert, or make yourself microwave nachos with cheese, salsa, and any leftover stuffing for the peppers.

Grocery List

• Fresh bread (or make sure you have the ingredients to use your breadmaker)
• Soup mix (dried soup mix: CHEAP and in the dry goods/bulk foods section): ex. Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix
• Cabbage
• Hamburger Meat (2 lb., or more, if you're a meat lover!)
• Tomatoes (at least 2)
• 2 Large green peppers
• Onion
• Jiffy Cornbread Mix (CHEAP - at Walmart, 49 cents/box)
• Coldcuts (for lunch and Saturday's meal): 1/2 - 1 lb. should do it
• Frozen Sweet Potato Fries (from Walmart, grocery store, or Costco) - use and freeze the rest.

Items That You May Already Have:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Milk
• Chili powder
• Bacon (IF not, add it to the list above!)
• Egg

Recipes

Beef Barley Soup: (makes 6 servings)

1. If there are directions on back of mix, follow those.  If not, start your dry 2 cups of your dry ingredients mixed with water and milk on low heat in a large pot for 1 hour. 
2. Add 1/2 lb. - 1 lb. browned ground beef, 1 c. shredded cabbage, 1 c. diced carrots and tomatoes to the pot, cover and simmer for another hour. 
3. Stir occasionally for the last 15 minutes and serve with bread and shredded cheese if desired!

Stuffed Peppers: (makes 2 servings

1. Brown ground beef, diced tomatoes and onions, and 1 tsp. chili powder and 1 clove garlic in a pan with olive oil until just cooked through. 
2. Cut top off pepper and carve out seeds.  Rinse.  Fill with scoops of meat mix and top with cheese. 
3. Place in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes (or longer, depending on size of peppers).  Serve with salsa and warm bread.

Jiffy Corn Muffins: (makes 6)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Stir together boxed ingredients with 1/3 cup milk and 1 egg.  Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for 15-20 minutes.
3. Enjoy!
4. 
   

Thanks again for subscribing to the Budget Cooking for 2
Weekly Dinner Plan!

Next week, look for a delicious homemade (and easy!) pizza, southwest potato salad, and homemade caesar salad!

 

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 Weekly dinner plans are essential for sticking to a budget and reducing stress.  Each week's newsletter offers suggestions for ways to adapt/substitute other ingredients within a recipe, as well as a no-cook Sunday light dinner/dessert plan! 

 We hope that these newsletters will inspire you with ideas, help reduce your meal-planning stress, and make you busy evenings a little easier. 

 

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Video Post: How We Approach Eating Out

This weekend while snowed in and warm and cozy in my apartment while my husband was away, I played around for the first time with making an iMovie with my Mac.  I wanted to see if I could come up with a video that I could use for this post on eating out.  After several attempts, I figured out to make and crop a video, but it's no Martin Scorcese work - it's pretty rough around the edges!  I definitely need to keep practicing on my comfort in front of the camera.

But for now, I'll introduce my first video post by asking for

an extra measure of grace and patience!

How I Grocery Shop {Secrets to Buying and Eating Simply}

As soon as it was official that I would be heading back to graduate school and instead of bringing in a teacher's salary and benefits, I would be a full-time student, paying for my own health insurance and tuition, it was decided: our budget needed to be simplified.


Part of the change we needed to make came in the form of our grocery bill.  I love natural, healthy, fresh food, and am usually willing to spend a little more on it.  However, I knew that our bill had to be cut significantly - we just couldn't afford my former eating/grocery habits.  At first, I went as cheap as I could be at our chain grocery store - canned goods, casseroles that would last us for almost the whole week, and lots of pasta.  And that worked, but it didn't satisfy my desire for at least some degree of freshness in our weekly eating.


That's when I decided to explore options other than the chain grocery store closest by.  I went to local stores, markets, and family-owned shops.  I learned that some are convenient, small, and even local, but not cheap.  Out of that exploring, I found two options that work really well for us and met my three criteria - 

• They offer fresh food,
• Have bulk dry options, 
• And are significantly cheaper and local.  

For the most part, I now alternate my shopping between the local farmer's market in our small city each week for great, fresh produce, good bread for special occasions, and occasionally flowers or gifts; and doing the bulk of our regular, everyday shopping at a small country grocery store in a nearby town.  Although it is about a 20 minute drive to and from, it is worth it for the huge discount on prices we get.  Because most of it is from local Mennonite farms and bagged by the workers at the store, it is offered at a very modest price.  Also, they offer bulk dry goods, like sugar, flour, oats, and spices at a great price that allow me to go longer without needing to restock.

Each week, I plan what I will buy and then occasionally change only when I find a better deal on something else.  I stick to mostly the same produce purchases each week (and the routineness does take getting used to...) because I've found what works well for our budget.

Fruit:
I now purchase mostly apples and bananas for our fruit (because they are cheapest) and occasionally berries from Costco.  I split half of my berries and often a few bananas and freeze them right away to use for smoothies and oats.

Vegetables:
Over the summer, it was essential - and enjoyable! - for us to grow most of the vegetables we ate in our city backyard garden.  We grew tomatoes, kale, squash, cucumbers, pumpkin, herbs, lettuce, carrots, and eggplant.

 In the winter, it's a little harder.  I either purchase lettuce and squash from the farmer's market, or buy a mix of frozen vegetables in bulk to stock our freezer and bagged spinach leaves, potatoes, carrots, or celery, and occasionally tomatoes to use for BLTs (our favorite cheap, go-to meal on the weekends).

Meat/Protein:
We rely mostly on chicken breasts to fulfill our meat cravings.  We buy it in bulk freezer packs at Costco, and take out as much as we need each time we cook.  This lasts us for at least a month or two.  We usually rely on gift cards to eat out to have steak or burgers.

I buy a lot of canned black, pinto, and white beans to use for protein in tacos, chili, and black bean burgers.  We also eat a lot more eggs than we used to.

Other Items:
I buy 2 pks of eggs at a time to last us awhile, and buy locally cut and packaged bacon and cold cuts for my husband.  The cold cuts have been a huge savings - I now pay about a third of what I used to pay!

So, what do we eat?
We eat a larger variety of things than I'd imagined we'd be able to, but we do have a few stand-by favorites:

• chili (vegetarian) and cornbread
• pot roast (with frozen venison my husband's family gave us)
• quesadillas (with frozen peppers, corn, and bbq chicken)
• BLTs
• chicken caesar salad
• baked potatoes
• grilled chicken w/ any seasoning imaginable!
• healthy chicken casseroles
• egg and salsa wraps
• soup

Although is has been a change for us to embrace shopping and eating frugally, it has been one that we have learned from, continue to work on, and enjoy experimenting with.  I love the help and ideas I've gathered from the blogging community on how to eat healthily and frugally on a budget.  I've also sought advice from our families, who have had to endure the effects of budget ups and downs on their eating habits as they've experience life.


More to come on how we approach eating out.....