I’ve really been trying to stick to a grocery budget, so my meal options have been dictated by sales ads and what’s in my pantry already.  I felt like an 80-year old, when I actually got a rain check for chicken drumsticks that were on sale last week and Shop and Save was out of them.  I used it this week- I can’t believe I remembered it- and saved almost $4 on my chicken.  Is it sad this is something I get excited about?!?! I also get joy from reading my total savings that Shop and Save prints on the bottom of my receipts and then excitedly retell it to John when I get home.  He does not find the same excitement in this ritual as I.  Anyways, happy dinners this week to you!

Make sure to check out orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

MONDAY: Cheesy Beefy and Rice Cassarole in burritos

TUESDAY: NEW! Crock Pot Chicken Drummies

adapted from savingdinner.com

Crock Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
Serves 6

12 ounces chili sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons salsa
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 pounds skinless chicken drumsticks

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, except chicken; blend well. Place chicken in a slow cooker and pour sauce over the top. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Soup and Dollar Roll Sandwiches…Bringing to Hogans for dinner

THURSDAY: Leftovers

FRIDAY: Bacon and Eggs

SATURDAY: Sloppy Joes

SUNDAY: Creole Shrimp….sub canned fire roasted tomatoes…so good!

Check our orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

MONDAY: Frozen Pizza — I have a deacon’s meeting

TUESDAY: Cuban Pork, potatoes and steamed carrots

from Leanne Ely of savingdinner.com

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 cloves of garlic

1- 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 -1/2 pounds of pork loin roast

Put all ingredients in a plastic Ziploc bag – freeze for later or marinate ingredients for a couple of hours.

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Place pork in roasting pan, reserving marinade.  Roast pork for 45 minutes, or until it reaches the internal temperature of 165 degrees.

In a pan, bring reserved marinade to a boil.  Let pork sit for 10 minutes and serve with sauce on the side.

WEDNESDAY: The Stokke’s are bringing us dinner!!

THURSDAY: Leftovers

FRIDAY: Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole — this was in my freezer

SATURDAY: Sloppy Joe’s…I have girls night at Stir Crazy – yum!

SUNDAY: Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

I know I’m totally late posting this – I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner!

Let’s see, last week menus were yummy, although I did remember why we haven’t done Steve’s Mac and Cheese for a while, something wasn’t quite quite–sorry Steve!  I also shouldn’t freeze the Chicken Tetrazzini again, it didn’t turn out great.  We had the Oliver’s over for dinner Thursday night and did my regular Spaghetti and Meatballs but doubled everything but the noodles and it was an improvement.

Here’s what’s for dinner this week and you can check out other menu ideas at www.orgjunkie.com.

MONDAY:  Henry’s Birthday Dinner at Chuck E. Cheese’s

TUESDAY:  Eggs to serve with bacon and toast

WEDNESDAY: (NEW!) “Chili” with Vegetables from Penzey’s Spices Fall Catalog (I’m freezing half)

1⁄2  lb. ground turkey
1⁄2  lb. ground beef (round)
1  TB. olive oil
1  15 oz.  can black beans
1  15 oz.  can red beans
2 tsp. SOUP BASE—BEEF, CHICKEN
or VEGETABLE
1  large onion, chopped
5  cloves garlic, chopped (1 rounded tsp.
MINCED GARLIC)
1  medium green bell pepper, chopped
2  carrots, peeled and chopped
2  whole tomatoes, chopped
1  15 oz. can diced tomatoes
2  15 oz. cans tomato sauce
2  stalks celery, chopped
2  parsnips, chopped (1 Cup)
1⁄4  Cup cider vinegar
1⁄4  tsp. CRUSHED RED PEPPERS
1-2 tsp. salt (to taste)
1⁄2-1 tsp. PENZEYS FRESHLY GROUND
PEPPER to taste
1⁄2  tsp. GROUND CUMIN
1⁄2  tsp. BASIL
1⁄2  tsp. OREGANO
1⁄4  tsp. PAPRIKA

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a stock
pot. Add the turkey and ground round and
cook until nicely browned. Drain. Add the
remaining ingredients to the pot, starting
with 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce the heat and
let simmer for at least 1 hour or until all the
vegetables are cooked through. Taste before
serving and add the rest of the salt as desired.
Serve over spaghetti topped with freshly
grated Parmesan cheese.
Prep. time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 8-10

THURSDAY: NEW! Grandma Rattini’s Gnocchi; This is out of a company cookbook that John’s company put together a few years ago for their clients.  I’ve been slowly going through it and rating the recipes as I go.

2 eggs

1 cup cold water

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups of flour

2 tablespoons dried chives

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Fill stock pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.

2. Mix eggs, cold water, salt, baking powder and chives until well blended.  Add flour until dough becomes sticky and firm,

3. Drop large teaspoons full of dough into boiling water until you have used up all the dough.

4. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-low heat in saucepan.  Cook until browned.

5. Uncover stock pot and boil gnocchi for an additional 5 minutes.

6. Place cheese in a large serving dish.  Add gnocchi and melted butter.  Mix well and serve immediately.

FRIDAY: Beef Macaroni Skillet

SATURDAY:  Henry’s Birthday Family Party…BBQ Pork Steaks, Corn on the Cob, Baked Beans..not sure what else yet besides a train cake

SUNDAY: Cube Steaks with Rice a Roni; This is a staple of John’s family’s and I didn’t know what a cube steak was before we got married.  All he does is batter them with flour salt and pepper and pan fry them.  It’s cheap and delicious.

This week is all about making what we have and stretching our food budget until the 15th.  Luckily,  I have a few menus that I split from the previous weeks and froze for just such an occasion.

The new recipes I tried from last week were big hits, which were the Beer Brined Chicken and Katy’s Chicken Enchiladas.  So yummy!

MONDAY: Northwoods Chicken

TUESDAY: Mega Marvelous Meatloaf (freezer recipe from Leanne Ely, savingdinner.com)

2/3 cup dried stuffing mix
1 egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 1/3 teaspoons garlic powder
2/3 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup ketchup
2/3 teaspoon honey
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Seal the bag and blend the mixture together by squeezing and kneading the bag.  Unseal the bag, starting at the bottom of the bag, roll the mixture to force out any air then seal the bag again.  Insert this bag into a gallon sized plastic freezer bag and place a copy of the recipe into the 2nd bag as well and seal it.  Place your label on the bag or write the name and date on the bag and place in the freezer.

When you want to have this meatloaf for dinner, thaw in the fridge overnight and then:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place meatloaf in a loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour or until done.

WEDNESDAY: Eggs to serve with bacon and toast

THURSDAY: Beef and Tomato Manicotti (in the freezer)

FRIDAY: Chicken Tetrazzini (in the freezer)

SATURDAY: House Group BBQ

SUNDAY: Crock Chili and Cornbread

I didn’t get to two of my menus from last week because we had some impromtu dinner invitations – LOVE THOSE!  So you may be seeing some repeaters from last week.  The lesson I’m learning is that I need to save a day for  leftovers because of impromtu invites and for just left overs or the “All-Stars Dinner” is what we refer to at our house.  The new menu we tried last week, which was a hit, was the Beef and Cheese Manicotti, everyone loved it and I froze some for dinner later.  It’s definitely not a “30-minute meal”  though — stuffing all the insides of the noodles was a little frustrating at crunch time at 5pm.

For more yummy menu planning check out – orgjunkie.com.

MONDAY: Totinos Party Pizzas; I had Physical Therapy tonight and apparently John had been storing some of these babies in the basement freezer.

TUESDAY: Beer Brined Chicken (New!)

WEDNESDAY: Katy’s Chicken Enchiladas

THURSDAY:  Eggs to Serve, Bacon and Toast

FRIDAY:  Leftovers

SATURDAY:  Linguine and Clam Sauce

SUNDAY:  Pesto Chicken Pasta

Yea! -these posts are actually helping me stay accountable to menu planning and I’ve been actually getting excited about it.

The new recipes that were favorites from last week were the Crock Pot Chili and Karin’s Shrimp Creole.  In Karin’s recipe she gave me, she substituted the tomatoes with “fire roasted” tomatoes – which I LOVED.  And John really liked the chili, which is a huge compliment b/c he is the “chili-man” in our house and I seldom make it.  I didn’t get to the manicotti on Sunday, because we ate at Peggy’s where she served up Beef Tenderloin, Scalloped Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli and Pineapple Upside down cake.  SO good.

On the menu for this week, is mainly all tried and trued recipes except for the Beef and Tomato Manicotti and Katy’s Chicken Enchiladas.  Can’t wait – but holy pasta Batman – I’m on carb crazy lately.

For more yummy menu planning check out – orgjunkie.com.

MONDAY: Sue’s Spicy Chicken Vermicelli

butter or margarine
1 yellow onion,chopped
4 whole chicken breasts,skinned,boned & cut into bite-sized pieces 2 (14oz) cans-Mexican stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 lb. Velveeta cheese cubed
8 oz. vermicelli,cooked

1. Melt butter in a skillet; add onion and saute until tender.

2. Add chicken and saute 5-8 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.

4. Sprinkle baking soda over tomatoes and stir to blend.

5. Add Velveeta cheese and stir until melted.

6. Combine mixture with vermicelli and pour into a 2 qt. casserole baking dish.

TUESDAY: Ground Beef and Tomato Manicotti

WEDNESDAY: Chicken Noodle Soup

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup celery slices
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups shredded chicken/turkey
6 cups fat-free sodium less chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cups carrot slices
1 tablespoon lo-sodium soy sauce
cooking spray
3/4 cups chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat.

2. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add carrot, onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until lightly browned.

3. Add celery, salt and pepper; sauté for 3 minutes.

4. Add broth and next three ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat ad simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add shredded turkey, cook three minutes.

6. Discard bay leaf.

THURSDAY: Beef Macaroni Skillet

1 pound ground beef

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

1/2 cup chopped onion

salt to taste

1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2-1/2 cups hot water

1 teaspoon sugar

1- 6ounce can tomato paste

1/4 cup water

1 – Brown ground beef. Pour off drippings

2 -Add macaroni, onion, salt, chili powder, sugar and pepper.

3- Add 2-1/2 cups of water, cover and cook 10 minutes.

4- Combine tomato paste, 1/4 tomato paste, 1/4 cup water, add to meat mixture and continue cooking 10 minutes

5- Watch and add more water if necessary because it can burn easily.

FRIDAY: Linguine and Clam Sauce

1 pound linguine, uncooked

3 (6 ounce) cans of minced clams, undrained

1 can chicken broth

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of flour

1/2 cup clam juice

1/8 dried thyme

dash of Tabasco sauce

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta.

2. While pasta is cooking, drain juice from the canned clams into 2 cup measure then add enough chicken broth to make 2 cups worth of liquid.

3. In skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and saute garlic.  Stir in flour.  Cook on low for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Gradually stir in clam liquid, thyme and Tabasco sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple minutes.

5. Stir in clams, parsley and lemon juice, heat thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over hot linguine.

SATURDAY:  Date Night…to dinner and the Shirt.Woot Party at the City Museum

SUNDAY: Katy’s Chicken Enchiladas

2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 whole wheat tortillas

1 can green enchilada sauce

2/3 cup sour cream

1-1/2 cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Place chicken breasts in sauce pan with enough water to cover chicken.  Add the spices, stir and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for an hour or until the chicken ids cooked.  Remove the chicken from the pan and shred the chicken with two forks.  DO NOT discard water from pan.  Return the chicken to the pan with spices and water.  Simmer uncovered until the water has reduced.

Place spoonfuls of chicken on tortillas and roll up.  Place the enchiladas, seam side down into  baking dish.

In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and sour cream.  Our over enchiladas.  Top with shredded cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes until heated thoroughly and cheese os lightly browned.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.