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Thursday, June 23, 2022

Cheap & Cheerful Meals for Father's Day Week


Friday

pepperoni pizza, tomato-basil soup (canned tomato paste, frozen basil from last summer, garlic, chicken stock), steamed broccoli and turnip stem pieces (saved from the turnips I harvested earlier in the week)

As usual -- your homemade pizza dinner for Friday. I love pizza and look forward to this dinner every week.


Saturday

scratch refried beans, homemade tortillas, carrot sticks, garden green salad

Sunday (Father's Day BBQ)
barbecued burgers on homemade buns from the freezer with lettuce from the garden, homemade dill pickles and onion slices, steamed broccoli in cheese sauce, potato chips and dip, canned pineapple chunks and banana slices, ice cream sundaes

My daughters prepared the Father's Day meal. This was as much a gift to me as to my husband. For dessert, they made a fudge sauce and a caramel sauce to go on vanilla ice cream and the leftover chocolate brownie ice cream from April birthdays. 


Monday

chicken pot pie, leftover bananas and pineapple, toasted burger bun, green fig pickle slices


Tuesday

sausage patties, lentils, rice and gravy, sautéed turnip greens, oven-roasted turnip chunks


Wednesday

tuna casserole using the last of the cheese sauce from Sunday as a binder, garden greens and lentil sprout salad, chocolate chip cookies

Thursday
leftover tuna casserole, Swiss chard frittata, carrot sticks

Baking this week -- I baked 3 loaves of bread, some chocolate chip cookies, and a batch of corn muffins. I also made another jar of instant brown sugar and cinnamon oatmeal for family members to make a bowl of oatmeal at a time. I've been working in the garden every day and have had little time for baking this week.

My friend with the fridge problems received her new fridge and freezer on Saturday (2 days late, they had to reschedule). She came and picked up her freezer items and returned the picnic cooler. I went shopping and bought another gallon of whole milk for making yogurt and did just that on Tuesday. Breakfasts included homemade yogurt once again.

Mid-week, I made soup for lunch that lasted 2 days, using leftover cooked lentils, sautéed turnip greens, chicken broth, garlic and some Parmesan cheese. It was delicious and appreciated by my family members to have something easy for their lunches. I also made 2 batches of rhubarb sauce and 1 bath of spiced fig-applesauce. We are low on fresh fruit and our strawberries are still not ready. Adding fruit sauces to the bananas, raisins, and canned pineapple makes our fruit selection more interesting. We also opened one of the packages of uncured hotdogs (bought on clearance) to use in lunches and ate leftovers or peanut butter sandwiches.

From the garden this week, we harvested lemon balm, rhubarb, turnips, Swiss chard, beet greens from thinning, lettuce, nasturtium leaves, radish leaves, and chives. The weather finally warmed up this week after weeks of chilly rain. I'm hoping the garden takes off with the warmer weather.

These were the meals we ate this week. What was on your menu?


21 comments:

  1. Roast pork, scalloped potatoes, cabbage, beans, ravioli with pasta sauce and alfredo sauce, garlic bread, stromboli, strawberries with whipped cream, apples and cheese, homemade oatmeal with strawberries and cream, grilled italian sausage and french fries. We had some very easy meals this week because it's been rather hot so lots of things that didn't heat the kitchen during those hot days.

    Alice

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    Replies
    1. That all sounds delicious, Alice, especially the fresh strawberries. I'm glad you found some easy meals for hot weather.

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  2. On Saturday, my sons did a Father's Day meal for my husband of grilled hamburgers and sausages, roasted asparagus and carrots, potato salad, and a Caesar salad. On Sunday, we did the same meal for my FIL at his house. In addition, my sons made chocolate chip cookies and a ham and bean soup and sent it for their grandfather since they had to work and couldn't go. My FIL really appreciated those along with the leftovers we left with him. On another day, I made cabbage soup with cabbage from the garden.

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    Replies
    1. I'm so envious that you have garden cabbage already, Live and Learn. Mine are still just leaves. I love the way your whole family contributed to Father's Day for your FIL, even when your sons couldn't join you all due to work.

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  3. Saturday (might be confusing days)-marinated mahi mahi with roast beets from the garden and a salad
    Sunday-tacos from a regional chain (after butchering 23 chickens in the heat, we were beat!)
    Monday-roast chicken, mashed potatoes (from garden) and gravy, home-canned green beans
    Tuesday-chicken broccoli rice casserole, using a bag of cauli-rice instead of part of the regular rice
    Wednesday-meat loaf mixture made into patties and cooked like burgers, with a skillet side of potatoes, zucchini, and onions from the garden sauteed together
    Thursday-medical appointment in OKC (100 miles from home) so we had leftovers
    Friday (tonight)-planning beef fajitas

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cat,
      tasty sounding meals at your place this past week. When I make meatloaf as patties, I call them Salisbury steak. I did just this on Sunday for dinner. It was easier and heated the kitchen less to cook them in a skillet. I love all of the garden produce you're able to use.

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  4. Yourr meals always sound so good plus you are so creative and resourceful! Thank you for sharing. In no particular order...foods we had this week were: taco salads or tacos, crockpot turkey, turkey salad, seafood x 2....this was from Father's Day and it was bought cheaply and frozen quite awhile ago for this purpose, smoked sausage. Sides were: slaw, tater tots, mashed potatoes, zucchini, cooked cabbage, refried beans. Dessert was cheesecake on Father's Day from a mark down mix from Dollar Tree and it was delish.

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    Replies
    1. I've never seen cheesecake mixes at Dollar Tree. I'll have to look more carefully next time I'm there.
      Lynn from NC Outer Banks

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    2. They were marked down to fifty cents for clearance in the front of the store. I only bought two. Wish I'd gotten more...you added cream cheese and whipped topping. Everyone thought it was very good.

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    3. Hi Linda,
      count me as another who hasn't seen the cheesecake mixes at DT. I'll have to look for them. 50 cents a box is quite a bargain for the level of convenience you get in making a dessert.
      Your meals sound yummy!

      Delete
  5. Sat-Had burgers and fixings at a birthday party
    Sun-Father's Day: Kids weren't home so DH and I went out to his requested restaurant. We split an entree and appetizer. They make crazy "adult beverages" which could have served as as an appetizer as well. We'll remember that for next time. It had 3 2.5 inch link sausages, dill pickle spear, 4 olives, 2 bread and butter pickles and a cherry tomato stuck into a full stalk of celery! I brought the stalk of celery home and used it to make chicken salad for lunches.
    Mon: Planned to make chicken in the crock pot, but a friend gave us fresh mahi mahi that was swimming in the ocean that morning. I pivoted and we had baked mahi, 3 bean salad, Caesar salad and baked potatoes. I also made my husband's requested dessert, a blueberry pizza-a day late. It called for lemon yogurt. I used vanilla yogurt with lemon juice and zest from a lemon that I rescued from a gathering where they were going to throw out the lemons and limes that were being used a decorations on the table. I wish I'd grabbed more than one!
    Tue-I froze half of the mahi for another meal, but we still had some leftover. My husband is not a huge fan of Mexican food. I was going to have a fish taco for dinner which he turned his nose up at. So I asked if he wanted fish nachos? (pretty much the same thing to me, but not to him!) I had a taco and he had nachos with tortilla chips plus sour cream, salsa, avocado, cheese, lettuce and tomato. He raved and raved about how good these were. He even requested it at lunch the next day to finish up the fish! Also had leftover 3 bean salad and fresh strawberries with dinner.
    Wed: Like Alice, we had ravioli with pasta sauce. Frozen ravioli bought at half price (2.15) is one of the convenience foods I keep for quick meals. I put the ravioli in a dish with the sauce and usually add extra peppers,onions and cheeses. I then microwave it skipping the boiling they suggest. It makes more than one meal for us. Also had cauliflower with cheese and an Asian salad with oranges, toasted almonds, celery and chow mein noodles.
    Thur: leftover ravioli, cauli and tossed salad
    Fri: Planning to use chicken, boiled eggs, bacon, cheese, lettuce to make Cobb salads (DH request) with cornbread from the freezer.

    Garden is slow coming in, but I still have radishes and now lettuce, a few wax beans and jalapenos. Hoping for more items soon. It's been cooler with some rain, so that's a nice break from the scorching weather we'd been having in the "spring".

    Shopping: There are still some bargains to be found. I had bought strawberries for 1.99, thinking that was the new lowest price. But our Food Lion had them for 1.67, which is what the lowest price had been, so I picked up some of those. Our Harris Teeter (now a Kroger affiliate) has chickens for .99/#, peaches .99/# and ground beef (80/20) for 2.99/# this week-all good for here. I also found some of the convenience foods I keep for my husband on sale. He (unlike me) tires quickly of the same items for lunch. He'll want a Philly cheese steak or a meatball sandwich and will want to go out for that. I keep these type items in the freezer or make my own (meatballs) so that he can eat them more cheaply at home. Eggs were 1.79/doz compared to .99/doz not too long ago:( but still a cheap protein. I shopped yesterday when the over 60 crowd (!) gets 5% off.

    Gas has dropped a few cents here in NC. It is running 4.63-4.69-much cheaper than you Lili. With some of the loyalty programs it can be purchased for less. The Harris Teeter I mentioned is doubling their bonus points so right now I'm up to .30/gallon. I'm saving it for an upcoming trip.

    Hope everyone will have a good weekend!
    Lynn from the NC Outer Banks

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestion to microwave the ravioli. I will be trying that for sure. Do you think it would also work with the frozen tortellini?

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    2. Linda, you are welcome. I think so. The tortellini is smaller than the ravioli that I do (I've done regular and mini sized) so I think it would do fine. When I would boil the ravioli, some of the insides would seep out, which I didn't like! I hope it will work for you. Much quicker!

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    3. Hi Lynn,
      I'm glad you were able to find those bargains plus take advantage of a senior discount.
      Your meals sound delicious! That's a good idea to keep a few convenience items that your husband enjoys. If one partner likes to eat out, but the other partner is trying to stick to a budget, these compromises work well to meet both objectives.

      Delete
  6. I probably shouldn't read everyone's meals when I'm hungry. :)

    We returned from a long weekend with my in-laws on Monday evening. I pulled burgers that my husband had grilled and frozen and reheated them in the microwave, along with buns from the freezer that I thawed in the microwave. Added in some leftover Stax potato chips from our travels and lettuce for salad from my in-law's garden. That made an easy and quick dinner. I did a baked potato bar with potatoes in the crockpot on Tuesday (another busy day) topped with ham, black beans, cheese, Greek yogurt, and salsa. Wednesday we ate red beans, sausage, and rice. Last night I made sloppy joes. Tonight I have chicken legs in an apricot sauce in the crockpot which we will have with rice and salad. We are eating lettuce from both my in-law's garden as well as ours. We brought back some strawberries from their garden (the end of their season) and we started getting a few here, ourselves, so I made angel food cake from a mix I had on hand and we've enjoyed strawberry shortcake for dessert. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      Yum! Angel food cake with strawberries! Our strawberries will be ready to pick in a day or two. I can hardly wait. Your meals sound delicious. I like the toppings you used on your baked potato bar. I will keep the beans and salsa idea in my mind for when our potatoes are ready to dig. Thank you!

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  7. On Father's Day, we worked at our son's house, assembling the foundation for the playhouse that was precut and painted. We bought takeout Chinese and had a picnic there. So nice that our 16yo grandson helped too. We had Mexican again, corn tortilla, kalua turkey, Spanish rice, cheddar cheese, salsa and lettuce for at least two days. On sale was corn on cob and Brussel sprouts, so we ate these as well. With the remaining kalua turkey, my husband sautéed with shredded cabbage. It is a local favorite but usually made with pork instead of turkey. At Thanksgiving, we bought 6 turkeys and turned it all into mock kalua (smoked) turkey, and froze in batches. It goes well with Mexican nachos too. We took our car for service on Tuesday, and ate takeout at Safeway deli, where we bought corn, 2 ears/$1. Then ate out again today, husband bought a mini orange chicken plate and I brought leftovers from home.. Safeway had a good Friday sale on meats, hamburgers 2#/$5, and Chuck steak $4.49/#, bagels were $5 a dozen. At Costco, we found clearance frozen prepared breakfast sandwiches, pkg of 8 for $2.97. The other deal at a local grocer was 4pc fried chicken, free with points. That's how we got the 6 turkeys free, using points from shopping and doing surveys from receipts.

    Have a great weekend,
    Laura

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    Replies
    1. I had to look up what kalua was. It sounds delicious!

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    2. Hi Laura,
      Your kalua turkey threw me for a loop until you mentioned it is often made with pork. I have heard of kalua pork. Good thinking to use turkey in its place. Wow, 6 turkeys. that's a lot of turkey roasting and pulling apart. But the savings were extraordinary and now you have lots of meat ready to be made into meals.
      So, are you done with the playhouse? Your granddaughter is going to love this and will make many memories with this gift from her grandparents.

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    3. Kris, it's easy to make in the oven, just butter, salt and liquid smoke, and quite versatile in sandwiches too.

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    4. Lili, still cutting and painting, now the wall and roof pieces. Our son said he hopes their grandchildren will enjoy the playhouse one day since I told him we're building it to last 20 years. Their old playhouse from ToysRUs didn't last even 10 years, and was around $700. We're going to build it for less and that includes using better materials like stainless steel screws that should last a lifetime. We cut back cost using recycled (our old garage partition) and 70% culled plywood for the ceiling and floor. Lumber prices on 2x4s dropped at least $2 since the start of this project. I hope it goes down further and you can repair your roof for a good price.

      Delete

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