Weekly Dinner List, Part 4

Ok, so a few things from last week's list didn't actually make it to the dinner table, so we are going to be recycling for the sake of simplicity. This mama's brain has been on over drive for a few days, so it is relaxing with familiar cooking, and new but easy recipes to try.

• Beef Roast and Mushrooms, mashed potatoes, broccoli
• Crockpot Roast Chicken (in progress), mashed potatoes, vegetables
• Chicken Cheesesteak
• Skillet Potatoes and Biscuits
• Lentil Loaf
• Hawaiian Pork

Line up subject to availability of energy and time :D

Weekly Dinner List, Part 3

You know what? I never kept up on dinner plans like, ever, until I started posting them here. Woudathunkit?

Anyway, here I am, without the sales fliers for this week thanks to a certain almost four year old pretending they were part of a ball pit. So instead of hoarding sales, I am banking on our dwindling freezer and typical cheap options. What can I say, it's been a rough couple of weeks! There will be lots of chicken and frozen vegetables, and I can think of much less appealing options.

This week, in no particular order, and subject to replacement with tacos or pasta:

• BBQ and Gramma's. I am making gluten free pumpkin bread for the occasion. (I'll post on that later!)
• Roast Chicken and veg, potatoes
• Chicken Stir Fry and rice
• Chicken fried pork chops, mashed potatoes
• Lentil Loaf, and probably MORE mashed potatoes because they are a staple around here
• Pizza Night!

A grocery trip is in our near future, so the last slot will be reserved for something fresh, or dinner out.

Weekly Dinner List, Part 2

It's a challenging week this time around. While there is a payday in the middle of the week, right now the cupboards are looking a little bare! The fresh produce is gone, and so we will be scraping whatever we can find out of the freezer to round out the proteins (also from the freezer). I did manage to find some ground beef earlier, which I was sure we were out of, while I was putting together a care package for some loved ones. (Another reason I hoard food. Not only does it get us through tough times a little easier, it gives me the freedom to share the wealth with others when they need it.) A few whole chickens, a box of dry milk, a big bag of cornmeal, and a few other things went into a box and were delivered to a very good friend that had been let down by the food pantry this week. Not much, but it feels good to help.

Anyway, I have protein and starches, but we are low on vegetation, so this is what our week will look like, in no particular order:

Chile-rubbed Pork Roast with cheddar polenta and buttered peas

Chili and cornbread

Meatballs, broccoli, pasta

Baked Potato Soup

Skillet Potatoes with bacon and eggs

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, sweet potatoes, and coleslaw

Leftover Night

As usual, depending on how I am feeling, dinners may be subsituted by tacos or pasta without warning.

Back to Basics

I have always thought that meals weren't complete without a fresh loaf of bread, a side of pasta, or a pan of biscuits. We are a big family, and a meal padded with wheat products went farther for cheaper. Then intolerance became apparent and life changes. Well, without gluten, baked goods aren't easy, or cheap, so rather than replace them I have started to appreciate them for the empty carb-laden fillers that they are. Now our plates are piled with meat and veggies, and if we need something extra, a pot of rice or potatoes fits the bill.

Going back to basics is still a bit of a challenge for me. Real food is more expensive than ever before, and it takes time and energy that I sometimes just don't have. But there are a few tricks that are helping me out:

• Shop the Markdowns: Most grocery stores have a section in the meat department for things that have reached their shelf limit. At my store, these items are scattered among the other meats with a giant yellow markdown sticker that someone slaps on once a week. I can pick up cuts that I normally couldn't afford, or larger quantities of the usual.
• Don't Get Fancy: Seriously, a roasted hunk of meat, a sauteed pan of whatever produce looked good, and some baked potatoes is just fine for most days. Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking my cooking fancy enough and people are bored, but the basics will keep everyone fed and healthy and that is the important thing. If you don't have time for a roast chicken or beef roast, chuck it in the slow cooker or bake up some meatballs.
• The Freezer is Your Friend: I like to keep my stand up freezer stocked. I have several cuts of meat and a large selection of frozen veg on hand so I have a couple of choices for dinner. Having flexible options without hitting the store has saved my sanity on busy weeks.
• Menu Plan: I know, it's basic stuff, but a menu really does help. Every few days I look at our schedule, check the freezer and the bank account, and what we have eaten recently. Busy days are assigned slow cooker meals or 30 minute meals, and lazy weekends get something with more thought and energy involved. Once it is all written out I know what has to be thawed and what prep has to be done in the morning, and I know what I have to pick up from the store.

It is definitely more work. But in the long run, when you compare it to the price of alternative products, it is cheaper, and so very much healthier.

Weekly Dinner List

One thing I hunt down online all the time are weekly dinner lists. It is helpful for me to see what other people are REALLY fixing their families on a day to day basis, not just the extra beautiful Pintrest-worthy dishes that cost more than I spend on a week of groceries. Then I can pick and choose from half a dozen lists what new meals I want to try. Sometimes they even make it onto our dinner rotation!

Right now, the summer heat has finally died and we are transitioning into our fall menus at last! I LOVE cooler weather meals. Soups simmering all day and meats braising in the oven are two of my favorite things.

This week, we have so far:

• Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy, mashed potatoes and corn
• Mom has an event, so the family is indulging in delivery pizza
• Chicken Stir Fry
• Beef with Roast Mushrooms, broccoli
• Chicken Paprikash and Cabbage, rice

There will probably be a taco night or a pasta night in there somewhere, but right now I am too lazy to put it in cyber-stone, and the end of the week really hinges on how stressed I am when the time comes. For the Mushroom Gravy, once upon a time we used cream of mushroom soup. Now, we use Creamy Mushroom Soup from Progresso. It is gluten free, tastier, not condensed, and inexpensive. A perfect substitute!

At your local Wally World