Meal Planning Monday

Here's our menu for the week. I'll include recipes at the end of the post.

Monday: Hormel Roast (from the Kroger BOGO deal last week), Cheddar Broccoli noodles (Knorr), and California Blend veggies
Tuesday: Baked Chicken and Rice
Wednesday: Italian Chicken and Au Gratin Potatoes (Betty Crocker) (may have salad on side)
Thursday: Casserole and spinach
Friday: PIZZA!!!
Saturday: Lasagna
Sunday: Leftovers

My goal this month was to spend less than $200 on groceries. There were items left from last month's menu (the BC potatoes, 2 jars of spaghetti sauce, some canned veggies, etc.) so this should be easy! So far this month, I have all my dry goods for the entire month and most of my meats (may need another bag of chicken) and I've spend $130. Part of that was a few shirts and pants for the boy since it's getting colder...(Pull ups have a separate budget)

I know I'll need cheese, milk and yogurt again before the end of the month. Looks like I'll make budget! I love coupons!

Oh, and I "power cooked" this past weekend, so 10 of my meals are in the freezer, ready to go!

Recipes (all feed my family of 3 with one or two servings for lunch the next day):

Baked Chicken and Rice
2 large, raw chicken breasts, chopped into chunks
1 large can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
2 bags Success Rice (I can't cook rice to save my life!)
I season with Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and onion powder.

Mix it all, cover it with foil, and bake it at 375 for 45 minutes.

Casserole
1.5 lb. ground beef
2 bags Success Rice
1 large can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup frozen (or one can, drained) corn
I season with Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt and onion powder.

Brown and drain the beef. Mix in the soup, water and rice. Let cook on medium, stirring every 4 minutes. After you've stirred 3 times, add the corn and seasonings. Takes about 20 minutes for the rice to be fully cooked. My husband sometimes adds a can of Ranch Style Beans to it and it's even yummier!

Lasagna
I'm struggling on giving you this one...it's my secret recipe...
1.5 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato paste
2 cans (14 oz) tomato sauce
1 box lasagna noodles
1 large tub small curd cottage cheese
1 pkg. sliced mozzarella
1 cup shredded cheese blend (use what you like, I use a cheddar/jack mix)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 egg
Italian seasonings (oregano, garlic, onion, parsley) as you see fit (hah...that's how I can keep the secret!)

Brown and drain the beef. Add the tomato paste, sauce and seasonings. Cook 1 hour. It should thicken up quite a bit.
Cook and drain the noodles.
Mix all your shredded cheeses together.
Mix the egg and a pinch of salt into the cottage cheese. (Don't use a lot of salt, you're using a lot of cheese!)
Layer in baking dish in this order: Noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese, sliced mozzarella, sprinkling of shredded cheese mixture, noodles, meat sauce, etc. until you have the shredded cheese on top.
Bake it at 350 until the cheese on top is slightly browned and bubbly. Let it rest at least 15 minutes before you cut.

Italian Chicken
Slice chicken breasts in half widthwise (make them thinner), cook in Italian dressing.


Proud to be part of Organizing Junkie's Menu Planning Monday. Check it out for more ideas!