Eat at Home 3!

[TwoMisfits]

So, tossed my Wed plan, moved Thursday's to Wednesday and have now redone Thursday on...here's the current plan...

Thurs - "Grocery Trip Inspired" Ratatouille with Embedded Fried Eggs Topped with Fresh Mozzarella served on Toast (this was a home run) and Fresh Strawberries (the leftover ratatouille combined with canned tomato soup and milk made the best lunch today, too)
Fri - Baked Fresh Salmon Fillets with Butter, Dill, and Lemon, Baked French Fries, Blueberries, Cucumber Dill Salad
Sat - (now doing lunch out, so) - Chicken Caesar Salad, Baked Potatoes Topped with Bacon, Chives, and Cheddar
Sun - (staying with original plan) - Mango and Coconut Soup with Fresh Kiwi Floaters, Loaded Beef and Cheese Nachos
Mon - Beef Meatloaf (probably Italian version), Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Yellow Squash
Tues - Stuffed Zucchini, Sliced Apples, Double Berry Muffins
Wed - App Night - Homemade Jalapeno Bacon Cheese Poppers, Friday's Mozza Sticks, Fresh Fruit Plate with a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip
Thurs - Leftovers or Slip Dinner Night (we might be hitting trivia night to get rid of a previous gift card trivia prize before it expires and to have a virtually free date night...if we do, we'll have frozen pizza and fruit for the kids that day and push a dinner a day later...

Did a great job sticking with the plan, only changing beef meatloaf for beef tacos...we did end up having a great date night and losing big at trivia, but it was a free date night (from our last win), so you can't beat that! My Aldi's has decided to step up its price and produce game with farmer's markets back again, so when I shopped today, I got 3 1 lb containers of 99 cent strawberries, 3 full pints of 99 cent blueberries, 3 lb bag of gala apples for $3.79, 3 lbs of bananas at 44 cents/lb, 3 lb bag of d'angou pears for $3.49, 12 corn on the cob for $3, 3 lbs of tomatoes on the vine for 66 cents/lb, 2lbs of vidalia onions for 39 cents/lb, an iceberg head for $1.29 (sanity in lettuce again!), 1lb of mini sweet peppers for 99 cents, 1 lb of baby carrots for 99 cents, and 8oz of mushrooms for 99 cents. I still have some of last week's jalapenos, yellow squash/zucchini, potatoes, mangos, lemons, limes, and kiwi to integrate with all the new stuff. I was totally over the moon with the berry prices b/c they were an unadvertised special and they looked great (and at my other local groceries, they were running $3-$4 for each product, so score...I ended up buying some real blueberry muffin mixes to use for a double berry muffin in case I have too many at the end of the week! Okay, so that's long enough - here's the plan...

Fri - Deluxe Cheeseburgers with Cheddar, Lettuce, Tomato, Carmelized Onion, and Special Sauce, Baked Onion Rings (Aldi's carried a bag to try, so I'm trying them!), Buttered Corn on the Cob, Blueberries
Sat - OUT (KFC per kid request - they were good at the doctors, so they got to pick this week's outing - it's been over a month since we've had fast food, b/c we've done sushi buffets and Indian this month, so I'm okay with it)
Sun - Crockpotting Chicken Drumsticks for their meat - gonna make Chicken Soft Tacos, Buttered Corn on the Cob, Black Beans (with added Jalapeno, Bell Pepper, Tomato, and Lime) - adults, Strawberries and Kiwi - kids
Mon - Homemade Chicken Pot Pie (Rest of chicken, onions, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, garden thyme and rosemary), Sliced Pears
Tues - Cheese Ravioli (maybe a special sauce for the top), Iceberg Wedge Salad with Diced Tomatoes, Blue Cheese Crumbles, and Balsamic, Blueberries/Strawberries
Wed - BLTs, Baked Fries, Double Berry Muffins, Diced Mango
Thurs - Leftovers, Smoothies, or Pizza Night

 

[Sydney2977]

TwoMisfits- those are some great produce prices at Aldi's! I went there once to try to do my normal shopping and was disappointed because I couldn't find all of the stuff I normally buy. But I may have to start stopping in there when I have time for the fruits and veggies! We grow some things but love having things on hand for snacks and meals.

DH is working nights again next weekend and I am doing two really early morning shifts, so I have to make things that can be reheated. In no particular order are next week's planned dinners:

Sloppy Joes with carrots

Crock pot pork roast with kale

Chicken parmesan with bowtie pasta

Meatloaf with mashed potatoes

Pork chops with avocado pasta (thanks again westcoastflgirl!)

Chef salad with ham

I am off Memorial Day weekend so we'll be doing some grilling!

 

[TwoMisfits]

TwoMisfits- those are some great produce prices at Aldi's! I went there once to try to do my normal shopping and was disappointed because I couldn't find all of the stuff I normally buy. But I may have to start stopping in there when I have time for the fruits and veggies! We grow some things but love having things on hand for snacks and meals.

DH is working nights again next weekend and I am doing two really early morning shifts, so I have to make things that can be reheated. In no particular order are next week's planned dinners:

Sloppy Joes with carrots

Crock pot pork roast with kale

Chicken parmesan with bowtie pasta

Meatloaf with mashed potatoes

Pork chops with avocado pasta (thanks again westcoastflgirl!)

Chef salad with ham

I am off Memorial Day weekend so we'll be doing some grilling!

The prices and quality weren't that good til this month - as they always say, competition is a good thing...it will probably go back down come the late fall (when the farmer's markets close), but I'm gonna enjoy the quality and prices while I can.

And yes, it's annoying b/c my Aldi's always runs out of at least 1-2 things I was planning to get (yesterday, it was whole grain bagels). I always have a very small secondary shop planned for the weeks I hit Aldi's (which is why I only hit Aldi's the weeks I can fit in 2 shops), so it gets added to the later list...but if I didn't know I could grab them in 2 days, it would irk me, but I still go 1-2 times/month b/c we eat so much fresh produce and I can't grow any of it, so it's a way I don't have to compromise into canned, frozen, or just less of it...

 

[LilyWDW]

I always shop at Aldi as one of my two stops. Staying within my budget has gotten a lot easier since I have started to do this. Luckily, my Aldi is right next to the Meijer I go to so it doesn't add that much time to my shopping.

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

Monday: Baked chicken taquitos, alexa black pepper and sea salt tater tots
Tuesday: Two timing pasta bake (http://pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com/2011/04/two-timin-pasta.html), salad
Wednesday: I have my workout class. Leftovers
Thursday: Scrambled eggs with cheese, pancakes, fruit
Friday: Eggs in red sauce, the rest of the fruit
Saturday/Sunday: Visiting my parents

 

[stayhomemom77]

Mon-Thai night--low carb pad thai (made with zucchini noodles) and coconut chicken soup (tom ka, I think?)
Tues-Domino's pizza, veggies and dip
Wed-meatballs (not sure how we are having them yet), sides depend on method they are served
Thurs-chicken souvlaki, rice, broccoli
Fri-taco salad, bean burritos, chips and queso
Sat-fundraiser (pasta night) at church
Sun-burgers, salad or veggies and dip

 

[Becc1]

Menu for the week

Monday - London broil and roasted veggies

Tuesday - sports night- hot dogs and homemade mac and cheese

Wednesday - chicken carbonara with cheesy garlic bread

Thursday - meatball subs with hand cut fries

Friday - pizza night

Saturday - date night for DH and I, probably let the kids choose some kind of take out

Sunday - will be at Six Flags all day so we'll eat there with our dining plan passes

 

[Sydney2977]

We did pretty good this past week except for one night... I had some leftover ham and was going to do chef salad's (DH was going to make his own to take to work and I was going to make DS's and mine when I got home) but apparently I didn't check the weather report. It was pouring all day and we even had flood and tornado warnings! We were not going to go picking out of the garden, so DH picked up something on the way to work and I got something for DS and I on my way home. We'll do the salad tonight and carry over another meal. He is officially back on day shift for the summer- woo hoo- and I have a four day weekend so back on schedule. I will go grocery shopping today and since I have time I may stop by Aldi's to see what kind of fruit deals I can find. We'll be grilling for the week on Monday.

Sun (off)- chicken parm. w/bow tie pasta
Mon (off)- cheeseburgers with melon
Tue (1-10)- grilled sausage w/ baked beans and corn bread
Wed (8-5)- bbq chicken pizza
Thu (off)- steak nachos
Fri (1-10)- grilled pork chops w/pea salad & rolls

 

[stayhomemom77]

Shopping day...which means a new week's worth of meals...

Fri-Taco Salad
Sat-Pasta Night at church (Fundraiser)
Sun-Burgers, chips, salad
Mon-Cheesy Turkey Cauliflower "rice" casserole
Tues-Naan Pizzas, veggies and dip
Wed-Breakfast (bacon, eggs, pancakes, fried mushrooms, fruit and home fries)
Thurs-Pork Loin, broccoli, some potato side dish TBD

 

[TwoMisfits]

This is a crazy week of potlucks and family visits and date nights...I have not shopped yet, but I'm pondering a few ideas around lots of potlucks...

Fri - Date Night - Out with coupon to Lebanese (kids shared a $5.99 Dominos pizza and some blueberries and apples) and Baywatch (it was a great, cheap date night - the movie and dinner were lots of fun)
Sat - End of School Family Celebration - We are hitting Macaroni Grill with a 40% off Family Meal coupon using our 25% off gift cards from Mother's Day - so it will be Chicken Parm, Spaghetti, Caesar Salad, and Bread and the kids are pretty psyched
Sun - Choir Potluck - I am bringing a homemade fresh fruit tray - hoping the Aldi's has the on sale fruits (strawberries, grapes, pineapple, canteloupe) b/c I'm gonna grab them tomorrow
Mon - Pool BBQ and Potluck - again, I'm bringing a homemade fresh fruit tray - did I mention Aldi's stock up
Tues - Mom's Visit - Gonna make her favorite - Ribeye Steaks, Carmelized Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Spinach Salad, Strawberries
Wed - Confirmation Celebration - I have to bring a small-item entree that can keep 90 minutes - we'll probably have Chicken Caesar Salads (using a rotisserie so some can have all the components separate) before the event to tide us over and then enjoy the fruits, desserts, and entrees after. My mom has suggested we bring deviled eggs or mini tea sandwiches, but we'll see what I feel like closer...
Thurs - School-End Field Day and Potluck (Edit: Oops - Forgot we have an afternoon potluck, so date night might be a movie - yes, I have 4 potlucks in one week)...Bringing Rice Krispie Treats and a Homemade Fresh Fruit Tray. Anyone still hungry will just get PBJ at home and spouse will have steak leftovers...

 

[LilyWDW]

Tonight: No idea... not feeling the pilaf I am supposed to make, but I do need to use the asparagus that is in the fridge.
Sunday: Cook Out at friend's house @4
Monday: 10:30-3 Honey garlic shrimp and broccoli, rice
Tuesday: Steak, roasted Brussel sprouts, side salad
Wednesday: Noodles and veggies with thai peanut sauce
Thursday: 4:30-8:30 L/O
Friday: Chicken rollarini stuffed with zucchini and mozzarella, roasted broccoli, side salad
Saturday: 8:30-5:30 L/O
Sunday: Tilapia, roasted asparagus, pasta side
Monday: 10:30-3 Vegetarian burritos
Tuesday: 10:30-5 L/O
Wednesday: Honey soy chicken wings and other appetizers/snacks
Thursday: 4-5:30 L/O
Friday: Veggie pasta with alfredo
Saturday: 9-3 L/O

Lunches:
Wraps
Salads
Leftovers

Breakfast:
Bagels
Yogurt and fruit

Snacks:
Fruit
Cheese
Nuts

 

[TwoMisfits]

This is a crazy week of potlucks and family visits and date nights...I have not shopped yet, but I'm pondering a few ideas around lots of potlucks...

Fri - Date Night - Out with coupon to Lebanese (kids shared a $5.99 Dominos pizza and some blueberries and apples) and Baywatch (it was a great, cheap date night - the movie and dinner were lots of fun)
Sat - End of School Family Celebration - We are hitting Macaroni Grill with a 40% off Family Meal coupon using our 25% off gift cards from Mother's Day - so it will be Chicken Parm, Spaghetti, Caesar Salad, and Bread and the kids are pretty psyched
Sun - Choir Potluck - I am bringing a homemade fresh fruit tray - hoping the Aldi's has the on sale fruits (strawberries, grapes, pineapple, canteloupe) b/c I'm gonna grab them tomorrow
Mon - Pool BBQ and Potluck - again, I'm bringing a homemade fresh fruit tray - did I mention Aldi's stock up
Tues - Mom's Visit - Gonna make her favorite - Ribeye Steaks, Carmelized Onions, Mashed Potatoes, Spinach Salad, Strawberries
Wed - Confirmation Celebration - I have to bring a small-item entree that can keep 90 minutes - we'll probably have Chicken Caesar Salads (using a rotisserie so some can have all the components separate) before the event to tide us over and then enjoy the fruits, desserts, and entrees after. My mom has suggested we bring deviled eggs or mini tea sandwiches, but we'll see what I feel like closer...
Thurs - School-End Field Day and Potluck (Edit: Oops - Forgot we have an afternoon potluck, so date night might be a movie - yes, I have 4 potlucks in one week)...Bringing Rice Krispie Treats and a Homemade Fresh Fruit Tray. Anyone still hungry will just get PBJ at home and spouse will have steak leftovers...

So, the homemade fruit tray was a hit at the 1st party - I brought 7lbs of fruit (1 3lb pineapple, 2 lbs of red grapes, and 2 lbs of strawberries) - it cost me $6 for all the fruit (yes, this was another Aldi's produce picks buy) and took about 20 minutes to prep (cutting the pineapple, snipping the grapes into bunches, and washing and draining the grapes and strawberries)...and it was all gone in the 1st dinner go-around. The 40oz prebought melon tray that someone else brought to the party actually ended up on my tray and somehow I brought home a bunch of honeydew that I'm now gonna add to today's tray (b/c my kids don't eat it, nor do I, at least not without some added flavors).

I bought identical fruit for today's pool party tray, so hopefully it goes as well...I may hit Aldi's Tuesday to buy the same fruit again for Thursday's potluck before prices change, since I'm sure it will be a veg week this week (my Aldi's tends to rotate, so it makes it easier to only go to them every 2 weeks or so, which is what I do now...

Oh, and Macaroni Grill was great and cost us less OOP including tip than a trip to KFC ($35 total OOP tax/tip included for 6 after the 40% off family meal, 25% off gift cards, and 2 kid meals added)...we didn't even finish all the Caesar salad (they brought us acres of it with dressing on the side and extra ranch dressing for the kids). It was nice b/c my youngest kids' meal only eaters also got a full plate of salad with their meals. We have decided anytime I see that deal, we may make it a Macaroni Grill week b/c the chicken parm and pasta were also great (and just the right amount - 4 pieces for 4 of us, plus a nice plate of pasta...between a BIG plate of salad and bread, we were full, but not stupid-Italian stuffed)...and all the mess from spaghetti stayed there, except for the orange chins on my youngest...

EDIT: Okay, 2nd 7lb tray of fruit also wiped completely out tonight...it helped that it was one of the only healthy options at the pool party (people do like to bring chips, rice krispie treats, and cookies)...

 

[1st*toright]

Trying to use up stuff in the fridge and freezer because next week we are at Disney!!!!!!! Its also graduation/recital/concert week at home and a crazy busy week at work - starting to freak out about being ready for vacation!

Sa pizza - BBQ Chicken
Su Steak, bok choi black rice
M Farro greek salad with lamb (and made good leftovers for DH, DD and me for lunch today)
Tu chicken pasta salad (already made and in the fridge for DH and DD when they get home from her rehearsal - I have a work dinner thing out)
W Enchiladas- black bean & rice (ready to be reheated)
Th Enchiladas- black bean & rice (hopefully they don't get dry and gross)
F Farro, sausage, goat cheese, chinese broccoli
Sa whatever is left in the fridge
Su Dinner Out

 

[westcoastfldisneygirl]

We were at Disney, and then out of state, and then had tons of stuff come up, so I am happy to be back on the meal planning track.

Monday: Chicken breasts marinated in raspberry ving. and basked, green beans, corn
Tuesday: Penne pasta with alfredo sauce and broccoli
Wednesday: I have my workout class-leftovers
Thursday: Lentil tacos https://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/04/lentil-tacos/ , spanish rice
Friday: Leftovers, but as a taco salad
Saturday: Chicken fingers, mac and cheese, whatever veggie we have left
Sunday: Leftovers, or something easy like soup and sandwiches

 

[TwoMisfits]

Wow, 4 potlucks later with no food brought home and our family party today...then back to a little normalcy before a mid-month trip...
Fri - Frozen Pizza, Asian Salad, Sliced Strawberries
Sat - Family party - we are paying for a joint celebration for the kids at a local Italian restaurant and then a pool party. Planning to bring another homemade fruit tray (thank you Aldi's for this week's 3 lbs of strawberries, 2 pints of blueberries, and 2lbs of grapes) and bottled water to the pool part of the day and then ice cream sandwiches to end. If anyone needs to eat after all this, they can raid my fridge!
Sun - Homemade Chicken Alfredo over Spaghetti with Sauteed Spinach on Top (I love to layer the greens on top to swirl in - cuts the richness of alfredo), Blueberries

I shop Sunday, so I'll finish the week then...

 

[LilyWDW]

So, this might sounds like a dumb question, but I feel comfortable turning to you all with it. I just got a new job that will start at the end of this month. It's full time, more then double my current pay, half the commute, and with benefits. So all in all a much better place to be.

That said... I don't know how to deal with meal planning. I've been working multiple part time jobs which gives me a bit more flexibility overall then this one job will. For the time being, it looks like it will be a Monday through Friday 9-5 deal, but that will most likely change come fall when the store I will be in actually opens.

So those who work full time schedules... how do you do it? How to you plan? How do you deal with working all day and then coming home to eat? What sorts of meals do you do? Do you prep things on your day off?

Thanks to anyone who responds.

 

[TwoMisfits]

So, this might sounds like a dumb question, but I feel comfortable turning to you all with it. I just got a new job that will start at the end of this month. It's full time, more then double my current pay, half the commute, and with benefits. So all in all a much better place to be.

That said... I don't know how to deal with meal planning. I've been working multiple part time jobs which gives me a bit more flexibility overall then this one job will. For the time being, it looks like it will be a Monday through Friday 9-5 deal, but that will most likely change come fall when the store I will be in actually opens.

So those who work full time schedules... how do you do it? How to you plan? How do you deal with working all day and then coming home to eat? What sorts of meals do you do? Do you prep things on your day off?

Thanks to anyone who responds.

I don't work now...but I did for 4+ years while married and did the bulk of the meals for my family.

First thing I did was keep weekly meals simple...baked fish filets, hamburgers from preformed patties, boneless chicken breasts/tenders/thighs in an overnight marinade (I had 5-6), meatballs, etc. I also almost always served a cold veg side/salad that just required prep (and no cooking) and sometimes a cold fruit one, too. I also never did dishes or cleaned the kitchen - that became my spouse's responsibility, so while he got "time off" before dinner, I got it afterwards. And I always planned things I wanted to eat, not that I should want to eat. After getting up at 5:15am (b/c my shift was 6am-3pm) and getting home after 4pm (b/c I did the daycare pickup 1st), I wasn't gonna cook what I didn't want to eat, so I always made sure my week plans had some of my favorite meals...weekends were for other people's favorites...and if they weren't my favorites (b/c I was being nice), they were the simplest and quickest meals ever...

EDIT: A weekly menu might be:
Monday - Lemon/dill/butter baked salmon filets with dill cucumber salad and strawberries (20 minutes to table)
Tuesday - Ground Beef Tacos (lettuce, tomato, cheese) and Refried Beans with salsa and cheddar (20 minutes to table)
Wednesday - Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders (cooked in a pan with a little oil), Microwaved Rice (yes I bought this cheat then, but not now, b/c saving the extra time on the rice was worth it), Green Salad (20 minutes to table with only marinade overnight to remember(
Thursday - Chicken Fajitas (Onion, Pepper, Zucchini), Sliced Fruit (30 minutes to table)
Friday - Frozen Pizza and Smoothies (and leftover salads from week)

We always took a meal out break on Saturday, so I had a full day off (as did spouse, who didn't have to clean the kitchen) and would do our "big prep/hard meal" Sunday, which sometimes let me have Monday off, too, if we had leftovers...which was good b/c Monday was always the roughest day of the week...

 

[Sydney2977]

LilyWDW- congratulations on your new job! That's a wonderful combinations of benefits.

I take it you work in retail, as do I. For the longest time I worked a pretty steady schedule: 9-5 or 8-4 M-F for about 14 years, then for about 3 1/2 years I did 5-2 with only every other Sun, occasionally a Sat. here and there. That was pretty easy for meal planning. For about a year now I've been on a rotating schedule and it took some getting used to, especially considering DH's changing schedule and DS's school and activities. Plus if you have one day off instead of two in a row, sometimes you have to run errands, do other chores, or you just feel like relaxing.

My favorite thing to do especially when the weather is good , is grilling on a day off, which works well on Sundays. I will grill meat for the week and make up dishes that are easy to throw together even when I get home tired. I also plan them so there are a few that I can prep before I go in to work and that I can reheat and the guys can reheat at home too. Mondays are always my long day so I like to use the crock pot for those dinners. In the fall and winter I also like to prep meats ahead and put together casseroles that I can easily reheat when I get home, or heat before I head into work. I do my grocery shopping weekly because I figured out I waste less and always have what we need on hand. Hope that helps!

 

[Sydney2977]

Another great resource for ideas is checking sites online. When I first got married my step mother-in-law got me a subscription to a quick cooking magazine (she knew I liked to cook, but also that my mom had not imparted any good recipes to me and I still have a subscription today. But that magazine and many other have websites where you can search for recipes by ingredient, type, time to make, etc.

 

[Sydney2977]

Off today so we're grilling for the week. Finally going to see PotC at the movies too- yippee!

Sun (off)- cheeseburgers with baked beans
Mon (7-5)- chili dogs w/cantaloupe (guys asked for this)
Tue (1-10)- steak enchiladas w/ guacamole (I had leftover steak from last week even after making steak nachos and DS's girlfriend eating with us that night)
Wed (5-2)- grilled chicken sandwiches w/fruit
Thu (5-2)- pork chops w/salad and crescent rolls
Fri (off)- grilled turkey wraps and chips