Wednesday
fry bread (French bread dough, pressed into small patties and pan-fried in a bit of oil),split and spread with hummus
cole slaw
homemade cake
Thursday
turkey-cheddar-cranberry sauce-watercress sandwiches on homemade French bread
curried carrot soup
blackberry-rhubarb pie
Friday
turkey in gravy over brown rice
sautéed kale, watercress, onion and garlic (kale and watercress from the garden)
blackberry-rhubarb pie
Saturday
bean burgers, topped with quick marinara sauce and mozzarella
herb polenta
cabbage slaw
Sunday
Greek Garbanzo Bean Salad
(cooked garbanzo beans, canned, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, rice, watercress, chives, minced onions, garlic powder, oil, vinegar, oregano, thyme, parsley, lemon juice and mozzarella cheese). Made ahead on Saturday evening, for a simple Sunday supper.
biscuit wraps (like these but filled with 2 slices of ham luncheon meat, each, instead of hotdogs)
prunes
Monday
teriyaki turkey with cabbage, carrots and onions
over brown rice
rhubarb crisp
Tuesday
bean burritos (homemade flour tortillas, homemade refried beans, rice, cheese, food processor salsa)
sauteed veggies -- onions, garlic, kale
carrot sticks
prunes
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You definitely have a tasty variety of meals!
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteThank you -- no one is going hungry around here!
Wonderful, nutritious meals from your very frugal food budget...so awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI kept my food journal for a week now, and we don't nearly eat the variety that you do (while spending 3x on a family of 3). I can see that investing time on meal planning and preparation can make a big difference. I've always thought (incorrectly) that food was no big deal, just keep the foods eaten as whole as possible (little preparation), and eat whenever I'm hungry. But I think this way we end up craving more junk foods and eat outs to balance the deprivation of good solid well prepared meals. My current food budget reflects the old way....hopefully I will see an improvement, and you are certainly setting some very high bars to hurdle over.
YHF
Hi YHF,
DeleteMeal planning does help with balance and variety. I just do mine on my computer, kind of sketch out a backbone of a meal plan. Then as each day nears I think of what I can add in the way of servings of veggies or fruit, or bulking out the meal with a bread product or dessert. But what even this basic of a meal plan does for me is allows me to see if I have too many meat-based dishes or am using too many of the more expensive ingredients.
You are certainly on the right track by studying what you've done in the past!
Those look so similar to ours!
ReplyDeleteI like your bean burger toppings. I am going to have to try that!
Hi Brandy,
DeleteI think our cooking/planning styles are quite alike, in that we both try to use as much as we can from our gardens, and round out with purchased basics and seasonal sales items. It is the best way that I've found to keep our grocery budget low.
I hope you enjoy the bean burgers Italiano as much as our family does!
Those turkey sandwiches look so good. I would eat alot of what you cook. I am a diabetic and wonder about the carbs. We all know my dh would need meat with each meal but for me, love it. Cheryl
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl,
DeleteBeans are fairly high carb. But they also have a lot of fiber, so I wonder how they affect diabetes. And then there's the desserts. Not exactly low carb there.
Love your menus. I especially love "Cheap and Cheerful".
ReplyDeleteI think that has been a motto through most of my life , but especially while raising my family:)
Hi Teresa,
DeleteI think it's a good motto to have. Much better than "stingy and dour"!
Your menus are so varied and complete. Reminds of a project I did in 8th grade. We had to have a meal plan for a week for all three meals and include all food groups in every meal. Mine was full of detail and variety. I don't think I equaled that since.
ReplyDeleteHi live and learn,
DeleteI remember doing something along those lines in middle school home ec. I'm not even sure schools teach home ec any more.
This was part of my health class. I know that there was nothing like this when my kids took health.
DeleteI do remember that my kids had to keep a food log for a week, listing everything they ate, in Health. For some reason, I never had to take Health.
Delete