Menu Plan Dec 27 thru Jan 2 No Shopping Challenge

I hope everyone had a joyous Christmas. We enjoyed spending time with our family and eating way too much!
School is out until January 10, so I will be at home. I've decided to challenge myself to use only what I have on hand for meal planning for the next two weeks. I will need to pick up milk and eggs and I ran out of garlic powder during the holidays ,and while I could live without it, I'd rather not.
I did an inventory of my freezer and pantry and it appears I may have more stuff than the grocery store! In the pantry, I have lots of pasta, beans and rice and canned tomatoes. I also have a broad selection of Asian staples. I have a huge addiction to Pacific Ocean Asian Market in Denver, and usually spend a small fortune there every time I visit. The freezer is well stocked with chicken. I'm down to mostly roasts and round steaks left from my beef, and a few odd cuts of pork and pork sausage. I also have 1 turkey and assorted frozen vegetables. I have plenty of potatoes and onions, as well as some apples and squash. In the fridge, I have some root vegetables, celery, mushrooms, cabbage, assorted cheeses and plenty of condiments like mustard, ketchup, horseradish, salsa, etc.
Since the kids will be home all week, I have included breakfast, lunch and dinner in my meal plan this week. We will be butchering more chicken this week so I planned a couple of quick, but hardy breakfast and lunches. It looks like the weather will be quite cold on the days we will be out at the ranch.

Monday:
Bake French loaves
B - Fresh Fruit Salad (leftover from Christmas morning)
L - White Chicken Chili (from soup mix)
D - Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna with Garlic Toast

Tuesday:
B - Apple Cider Oatmeal
L - Chicken Salad Sandwiches
D - Stir Fried Pork with Napa Cabbage, Potsickers, and Rice (substituting pork ribs)

Wednesday:
Bake sandwich bread, make noodles
B - Biscuits and Gravy
L - Tuna Melts
D - Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes

Thursday:
Butchering Day
B - Rice Pudding
L- Turkey Noodle Soup (soup from freezer with homemade noodles added)
D- Macaroni and Cheese with Salmon Patties

Friday:
Butcher Day II
B - Eggs Poached in Milk on Toast
L - Leftover Mac-n-Cheese
D - Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

Saturday:
B - Pancakes
L/D BBQ Pork Shoulder we will be taking to our oldest son's housewarming party

Sunday:
B - Eggs, Sausage, Fried Potatoes
L/D Football = Munchies All Day

How many meals could you cook before you needed to visit the grocery store?

Visit the organizing junkie for more MPM menus and recipes.

Finals Finally Over!

I have been super busy since Thanksgiving working on final projects, writing final papers and studying for final exams, and at last, it's over; for this semester at least. We did try to stay to a menu plan for the most part. Thanksgiving provided lots of great leftovers to work with. We enjoyed turkey noodle soup, hot turkey sandwiches and turkey ala king. We also cooked a prime rib roast that made several appearances in the menu.

When things are really busy, I fall back on items that are quick and use few ingredients. If the ingredients are not expensive that makes those recipes even better. Linguine with Clams is one of our family favorites.

I start by sauteing one or two shallots in olive oil. Next I add a dash of crushed red peppers and fresh ground pepper along with a can of chopped clams. Cook just long enough to heat the clams through. Toss with cooked linguine. If the sauce seems dry, you can add a little pasta water. Salad and garlic toast round out the meal

Lately, I've been putting together my list and menu with speed foremost in my mind rather than planning for frugality. As Christmas break approaches, I really need to take the time to do a complete freezer and pantry inventory and use more of the items I have on hand. I'll add that to my "to do" list.

Even though the week is halfway over I'm still posting this week's menu.

Monday: Baked Tortellini using leftover pasta sauce and Italian sausage

Tuesday: Turkey and Bacon Panini with Sweet Potato Fries

Wednesday: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Veggies.

Thursday: Mac-n-Cheese with Ham and Peas

Friday: Grilled Chicken, Rice Pilaf, and Salad

Saturday: Ham, Cheesy Potatoes

Sunday: Cajun Beans and Rice