Monday Meal Planning

We're expecting a high-stress week around here, so dinners definitely need to be low-stress. We're also cleaning out the pantry and freezer, so that's the theme for the week - cheap, easy, using lots of staples.

Monday - Chicken Wraps, carrot sticks, chips

We buy some frozen breaded chicken fingers that work great in a tortilla with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, other veggies of choice, and ranch or bbq. We somehow have two whole bags of carrots, so we're eating carrot sticks a lot lately.

Tuesday - Brinner! Scrambled cheesy eggs, toast, fruit salad

This dinner will be Gabbie's first experience with eggs, so it should be interesting. We also always have a ton of fruit in the house, so chopping it up to make a fruit salad is a normal occurance on weekend breakfasts or with brinner.

Wednesday - Pork Chops with sauteed mushrooms, rice pilaf, steamed broccoli

This is one of Aaron's favorite meals. I'm not a big fan of pork chops, but the mushrooms make them worth it for me to make this meal. We just season pork chops with salt and pepper, sautee in some olive oil, and when they're almost done, add some more oil, some butter, some garlic, and a container of sliced mushrooms (fresh, not canned) and sautee until cooked through.

The rice pilaf is something my mom made all the time when I was growing up. Sautee 1/4 c. diced onion in butter or olive oil. Use this pan to cook the rice according to package directions, adding in some dried parsley when you reduce the heat and use chicken stock instead of water. So easy, yet so much better than plain white rice.

Thursday - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad

We always have spaghetti fixings on hand - we just use our favorite jarred sauce, stir in some sauteed mushrooms and zuchini, and some browned Italian sausage if we're feeling the need for a meaty sauce. This is definitely a household favorite.

Friday - Oven-fried chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans and carrots

I'll post the oven-fried chicken recipe later this week, as I'm typing this up Sunday night and it is way past my bedtime. Other than chicken it uses strictly pantry staples to pull together. I mash my potatoes with at least milk and butter, adding in sour cream and/or cream cheese if I have any on hand.

Sunday -Asian Beef Skewers, steamed and salted edamame

After a week of frugal eating, we're going to step it up a notch and make something fancy! I know I've used this meal in past meal planning posts, because it is absolutely one of our favorites, and pretty easy on the budget too, especially if you substitute beef stew meat like we do. So easy and tasty, this meal is a surefire winner.