My Meal Plan For The Next Two Weeks
I’m not a planner and I’m in no way organized. But some people still see me this way, which I think is terribly sweet and kind of them.
Alright, sometimes I do get a little bit organized – but most of the time when that happens it usually centers around planning and budgeting for meals. This just kind of comes naturally for me now, after years of performing the grocery balancing act we all have to contend with each day.
Scroll below to get all of the recipes I am referencing here.
- 10 pound bag of potatoes – I’ll use these to make mashed potatoes for Shepherd’s Pie, Ground Beef Stew, Chicken Stew, and Parmesan Oven Fries one night. I’ll still have plenty left over to make Stewed Potatoes one night too. $4.99
- 2 pound bag of carrots – These are in the Ground Beef Stew and for snacking. I will alter the stew recipe some to accomodate what I have on hand. (about $2.00)
- 5 pound bag of onions – Deep Dish Pizza, Beef Patties, Chicken Stew, and the rest I’ll keep on hand or make pickled onions out of and can. ($4.00)
- 5 pounds ground beef – I divide this up into sections. I’ll mix 1+1/2 pounds of it up with an egg and cracker crumbs to make patties out of it for one of my recipes. The rest, I will brown all at once today and package in predetermined portions inside zipper seal freezer bags for the rest of my meals – and I’ll store those in the freezer until I need them. 1 pound for Shepherd’s Pie, 1 pound for Deep Dish Pizza, 1/2 pound for Taco Soup, 1/2 pound for Ground Beef Stew, 1/2 pound for Spaghetti…patties – 1 pound. ($10.00)
- 10 pound bag chicken leg quarters – I’m going to cook these for a long time in a large pot to make a nice rich broth. Half of that broth will be used to make chicken and dumplings along with half of the chicken and the rest will be used to make Chicken Stew. I plan on making them both at the same time and putting the chicken stew in the refrigerator to reheat for supper the next day since it actually tastes better after the flavors have had time to blend. (paid about $6 but will end up with twice the meat I would have had if I had bought a fryer for that amount)
- 1 bag frozen mixed veggies for shepherd’s pie (on sale for $1)
- 1 bag frozen corn for chicken stew ($1)
- 1 bag frozen pepper blend for uptownpatties (cheaper than buying fresh bell peppers) $1.
- 2 cans biscuits for dumplings ($1.50)
- 4 large (4 cup size) bags of shredded cheese because it was on sale for what I usually pay for 2 cup bags. I am using some of that and put two bags in the freezer as soon as I got home. I paid $2.69 for each of these.
I spent about $40.00 to get what I didn’t have on hand for the meals below.
*I buy rice in 50 pound bags from Sam’s Club for around .35 cents per pound and keep it in 2 liter bottles for those times when I need to stretch a meal. Click here to read more about that. Rice can be added to pretty much any meal below for added bulk. If adding it to stews, I suggest adding cooked rice to each individual serving rather than the entire pot to prevent the rice from bloating. The only meals below that I would not add it to are the spaghetti (you already have pasta) and the Chicken and Dumplings (dumplings are your meal stretcher there).
These are regular grocery store prices at Krogers. I could have gotten some better deals if I had of had time to go to Sam’s Club to get some but I find I spend so much more when I go there that sometimes it isn’t worth it to me. Last night was a Kroger’s night.
When I started writing out my list, I used my 35 Ground beef Recipe post as inspiration. Chicken and Dumplings were a given because Katy Rose asks for that every night (EVERY night) and Chicken Stew was a given because my in laws are coming to visit later this week and it is a favorite of theirs.
Here is what we’ll be having for supper over the next two weeks:
Click on the recipe title to go directly to that recipe
Spaghetti – I have the sauce ingredients and noodles for this, just needed the ground beef. Everyone loves this and it is my quick and easy meal that I can make at the last minute. I doctor my sauce up a bit but there is certainly nothing wrong with using it direct from the jar, especially if you find a sale on that stuff!
Another great option that we enjoy is Skillet Lasagna, which I make if I don’t have pasta sauce on hand (it uses canned tomatoes). You can substitute just Mozzarella for the mozzarella and cottage cheese blend in that.
Shepherd’s Pie – I have the gravy mix and soup I needed for this, but needed the potatoes, cheese, beef, and veggies. My son requested this.
Chicken Stew – The leg quarters I am cooking will make the broth for this and 1/2 of the chicken from those will go in it. I have the tomatoes but needed onoins, potatoes, and corn. This will make enough for two meals and I will serve leftovers two days after the original meal so it won’t feel like leftovers. If I need to make this go further, I just add more potatoes.
This makes enough for two meals. I will skip a night in between serving them so it doesn’t feel like leftovers 🙂
Chicken and Dumplings – Needed the chicken for broth, meat, and biscuits for dumplings. This is Katy’s absolute favorite and she is excited about having it this week! A lot of readers enjoy this recipe with vegetables added. If you prefer that, please do so! We never had anything in our chicken and dumplings but chicken and dumplings and my Katy said that is why it is called chicken and dumplings, not chicken and vegetables and dumplings, lol. This is totally a personal preference thing but I encourage you to make all of these recipes to suit your family’s tastes.
Pancakes and Bacon – You know how you have those crazy days where supper sneaks up on ya and everyone is just tired and wants to relax and have a little treat? Well, I have a package of bacon in the fridge and plan on having pancakes to go with it that night. Sure, there won’t be anything green there but hey, no one ever said you had to eat the whole food pyramid in one sitting. I’ll give ya the link to my homemade buttermilk pancakes that we all love and adore (click here) if you want to imagine me making those. God bless you 🙂 In the interest of disclosure though, I’m gonna tell you right now that I’ll be heating up those puppies frozen right in the microwave and we’ll all be glad and happy to have them!
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So that is eleven meals, about a week and a half worth, that are budget friendly, filling, and yummy.
We may end up with a little extra of the Shepherd’s Pie or Deep Dish Pizza so that would be another night or two of meals. I didn’t plan a full two weeks worth because something always comes up or someone ends up craving something and I make a special trip to the grocery store one night. We also have $5 pizzas in our area and those are always a fun and economical treat for a great pizza on family movie night!
Figuring out what to have for supper with limited time and a budget are obstacles that I tackle head on in my new book, Come Home To Supper.
*I made sure to include recipes that are family pleasing, easy on the wallet, and quick to throw together.
*I included recipes for every cut of meat I use and even added in menus so you don’t have to come up with them if you don’t want to!
*Spending far too much on your family’s favorite takeout dishes? I have recipes to let you make those at home, too!
*Do you end up making far too much and wasting food? I have tips and tricks to help you cook just what you need as well as recycle leftovers so you family has no idea they are getting a repeat!
*Extensive beef, chicken, and pork chapters and even a seafood chapter are joined by a large sides chapter and topped off with breads and dessert.
This is my go-to, all inclusive supper cookbook with over 200 recipes!
The best part is that all of this is available for around $10.00,
so you don’t have to dip into your grocery fund to be able to afford it!
Click here to learn more about my book.
For tour dates and locations (I’d love to meet you!), please click here. *Be sure you check out this post if you pre-order to see how you can get a free signed book plate to make your copy an autographed copy, great for Christmas gifts but ya gotta send in soon!
Click here to go directly to Amazon to pre-order it for around $10.00.
Are you going to do any book signing in North Alabama, I’m from Leighton originally, now live in B’ham. Was so thrilled to see where you live, Rogersville, I have family that lives there.
I make a menu every two weeks also. I include family favorites, but we HAVE to try at least two new recipes! I love the chance to try new and different foods. Being in the military and traveling overseas as much as we did, we took advantage of that golden opportunity. I have a spaghetti sauce recipe that I would love to send to you sometime. This is my families all time favorite spaghetti sauce. They all request it!
You give me the encouragement that I need. I keep your post and read them often. Love ya girl!!!
I would love to try it Jan!!!
Please, keep doing the meal plans and menus. They are lifesavers. Thankful that you are doing well. I’m always encouraged by your posts. I want to be just like you when I grow up.
Looks like you’re more organized than you give yourself credit for! I’d love to be able to plan like that, but there’s just the two of us at home anymore (empty nesters) and my husband is out of town alot with his job, sometimes without warning. Any suggestions on planning meals for two under such circumstances?
Blessings to you, Sister, and sure hope you’re finally on the mend!
I enjoy reading your blog/recipes. However, being gluten free for 30+ years (celiac disease) many of your ideas are not on my ‘diet.’ However, I like to cook for family and friends so I’m open to yummy stuff. Even though it is now just my husband and me at home, when I cook I try to make enough for more than one meal (not too proud to take leftovers to work for lunch) and I usually take at least one or two meals to my widower dad weekly. He appreciates home cooking and never complains. My husband and I have decided that ‘eating in’ is the best. Though a lot of my friends say eating out for two can be reasonable, when I cook it there’s no guessing what’s in the food. LOL 🙂 Bless you Christy – you’re a real trooper.
I have been looking for a menu planner but the only ones I have seen, well they have food that I don’t even know what it is.. I told the lady at work that you needed to do one. Cause you know what “real” food was LOL… so now I just need to copy your list and I’m good for 2 weeks!! Oh Thank you again for all you do for us!!
I am so glad to hear that you liked the menu and found it useful! I wasn’t sure when I was making it out if it would be something that would be useful to others or not.
lol about the Chicken and Dumplings. The debate we have in our family is whether there should be more chicken or more dumplings. When I make it, if there happens to be any chicken in it, it is because I use cream of chicken soup. So I guess that makes it just dumplings.
🙂