Menu Plan: Fall (Sept. 23-29)

                                

     So, my homemade "Fritos" excitement last week was short lived. They tasted more like cornbread in chip form, which really wasn't so great. Not surprisingly, I ate the entire batch anyways. haha. Trying new recipes is a bit of a hit or miss game. I still love the challenge of discovering what foods that are assumed to be possible in packaged form only can, in fact, be made homemade. You never know when you might have a hit of a recipe and then be able to expand your meal options or decrease your grocery shopping total because of it!
     This week we have a couple of familiar "hits" recipes, and then some new ones. The main prep work this week will be making the breads and yogurt, and soaking beans in advance. I may make a batch of homemade granola or try a recipe for homemade Grape Nuts cereal. We'll see. A few strategies we used this week for maintaining our budget was:

• We decided to take advantage of ground meat being on sale by making a big meatloaf and then using it three ways. Buying one main meat and using it in multiple ways has become a favorite way to make things stretch. 
•  Out of our ten lunches and dinners we try to have five be meatless and five contain meat. This also serves the purpose of compromising between my husband and I's individual food preferences as he likes heavy meat meals and I prefer lighter veggie meals.  
• My husband (who is amazing at making various types of breads) makes all our breads at the beginning of each week. This week we're using pita pockets and burger buns. 
• We'll make a meal from soup that was made previously to store in the freezer. This meal was no extra cost this week, and will only require me to thaw the bag and add noodles. Hooray!

     
Breakfasts (Can you tell that this is one meal occasion that we don't mind to stay the same? haha)
-parfaits (yogurt, walnuts, strawberries, granola)
-omelet (eggs,diced bell peppers, diced onions, diced mushrooms), toast, fresh smoothie/juice
-granola cereal with dried berries, banana 
-oatmeal, pear, walnuts
-egg sandwich (egg, cheese, canadian bacon, biscuit)  {Tip: make these in advance and keep them in the freezer)

Lunch

-avocado egg salad sandwiches (Great recipe for this! I'll put it in homemade pita pockets)

-jambalaya (This recipe is delicious! I'm making it with bacon & shrimp this time)

-eggplant pomodoro

-meatloaf, peas, carrots, mac n' cheese

-sweet potato black bean burgers (on homemade burger buns)

Dinner

-{breakfast for dinner} cheddar cauliflower quiche

-shephards pie (made using leftover meatloaf)

-Greek diner salad (I'm using spring mix lettuce instead of the variety it calls for)

-meatloaf sandwich, steamed broccoli (again, leftover meatloaf)

-chicken noodle soup (already in the freezer! I will just have to thaw and add some cooked noodles.)

Snacks
-fruit (bears, bananas, oranges)
-olives, cheese slices
-yogurt
-veggies (carrots, celery)
-homemade oatmeal raisin cookies (yum, yum, yum!)


Linked up at: Time-Warp Wife, Growing Home, Thankful Homemaker, Cornerstone Confessions, A Mama's Story, The Alabaster Jar, Homestead Revival, Organization Junkie, The Better Mom, What Joy is Mine, The Modest Mom, Covered in Grace, Raising Arrows, Like A Mustard Seed

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