My Chaotic Menu

So far I've stuck to this menu every day, except last night I got up late (slept an extra two hours- probably needed it), so I didn't have time to cook, so enlisted Rhiannon, my 13 yr old to make dinner. Well, she didn't want Sloppy Joes, she wanted something Mexican-ish. So, since tomorrow night's (Tuesday) menu choice was enchiladas, we switched them around.

I'll list the whole week's menu:

Friday 6/18: Pizzas for the girls while Christopher and I stopped by the funeral home to pay our condolences to Hubby's co-worker who had lost her husband - then had our real dinner and a movie date night.

Saturday 6/19: Curried Chicken Florentine with rice

Sunday 6/20 (Father's Day): Crock Pot roast with potatoes and onions, green bean casserole and rolls

Monday 6/21: (changed to) Turkey and spinach enchiladas with refried beans and Spanish rice

Tuesday 6/22: Sloppy Joes, fries and corn

Wednesday 6/23: Spaghetti, garlic bread, green beans

Thursday 6/24: Crock Pot pork bbq, fries, mustard greens

Friday 6/25: Homemade pizzas: spinach alfredo, cheese, or Hawaiian BBQ chicken

Saturday 6/26: Chicken and rice curry, mixed greens

Sunday 6/27: Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings with broccoli and cheese

Monday 6/28 (First day of Hubby's Vacation!): Sloppy Joes, fries and peas

Tuesday 6/29: Layered chicken and spinach casserole and mashed potatoes

Wednesday 6/30: Crockpot Lasagna and green beans

(I get paid on Thursday July 1st, so I'll go grocery shopping then. I'll make a new menu and my list on Wednesday at the latest.)

So far, I've been able to pack Hubby's lunches with leftovers. Also, since I have been making sure to keep the fruit bowl, sugar snacks canister and salty snacks canister full for the kids this summer, I have plenty of filler stuff to throw in there too. I think it's better to give him too much food rather than not enough, especially when he's working 12-14 hour days. So while he's getting some "junk food" snacks, he's also getting a home cooked meal.

If I didn't have a menu planned, I wouldn't be able to buy the right groceries to stock the fridge and pantry, and would probably not be making most of the meals I have listed. Whatever I did make would likely be made with lots of pastas or other unhealthy stuff, just to try to make enough of something to feed everyone. And I sure wouldn't have healthy leftovers to send along in the lunch bag for the Hubs.

Another thing... if I hadn't been sticking to my budget and getting bills paid off, and on time, and stop accumulating bank and late fees... we wouldn't have much of a grocery budget to be able to get the healthy stuff. I've recently increased the grocery budget. I had been getting just the basics and plain boring meals using tons of pasta for about $80-$100 every couple weeks, and we'd spend maybe another $30 in those two weeks on more milk, eggs, more drinks etc. But now I've raised it to about $250 for 2 weeks. So I'm still feeding 6 people for a month for $500. Not too shabby. Even if you add another $100 for misc trips to the store for ice cream (Hubby likes to make Breyers ice cream runs hehe) or milk etc, it's still not too bad. I'm just so glad we're finally able to budget more from actual food, so when I go to the grocery store I'm not stressed and wracked with guilt.

That is a very good feeling.

Comments

  1. Great job! I used to be so good about cooking... back before I started back to school! I have your letter almost ready to go out. Love reading your posts! ~Darlene

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  2. Yay! I can't wait to get it. I hope you were able to read my terrible handwriting LOL!

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  3. I think you did great. :) Your menu sounds good to me! Thanks so much for the visit to my blog!

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I love getting comments, and I read every one. Thanks for coming by my site and reading my ramblings. I hope you have a wonderful day! -Patty