May 13 - Weekly Meal Plan

I mentioned back in a previous blog post how organization and some tools I learned early on in my marriage were going to help us during a time when money is beyond tight.  Meal planning and efficient use of our home pantry (stockpile as some call it) will help us eat, and eat well, for at least 3 months. 

Many people who do meal or menu planning for their families do weekly plans.  Well, we live a hair shorter than an hour from the closest military commissary.  Even with sales, shopping here with coupons can not be beat.  But, it is a drive that is a bit longer than I would like to make weekly with the cost of gas.  Instead, I make a list of 15-20 main course meals for the month to coinside with our commissary road trips and what I have in our pantry.  I also take into consideration sales at our little local stores and what fresh produce should be in season and in abundance, ie.....cheap.

Considering one or two meals per month eating out or at someone's home and leftovers, we don't need much more than the 15-20 for the month.  And we have standing options in the house all the time for breakfast and lunches as well as veggies and fillers for the main meals if needed. 

For this week, here is my list of meals:

-Margarita Chicken Quesadillas
-Beef and Spinach Gyros
-Pineapple and Mango Chicken
-Thai Chicken
-Fried Round Steak

My moods and what I crave change all the time.  So, as you will see, I do not do a list such as, on Monday, we will each Thai Chicken...and on and on.  What I do have is a small dry erase board on our refridgerator.  The top half is where I list my 4-5 main courses for the week.  When I write them up there, I take out whatever meat we need and put it in the fridge to defrost.  Then, as I cook it, I just wipe off that meal.  When they are all gone as well as the leftovers, I start the process over again. 

It is what works for us.  Since all of these recipes are new to our family with the exception of the Thai Chicken, I'll let you know how they turn out.  Let me know if you would like any of the recipes.  I'll post them after I make them because honestly, I rarely ever follow a recipe 100%. 

In case you are looking for cheap produce....around here right now we are getting mangos, pineapple, asparagus, sweet corn and strawberries dirt cheap.  One good thing about having a deep freezer is that we can stock up on them, blanch and freeze them at dirt cheap prices for later use.  And produce frozen from fresh packs a higher nutrional punch than anything you can buy that is canned.