meal planning

Monday Night Meal Plan

It’s Spring Break, so we’ve got lots of family time this week.  Possibly, we’ll even consider eating at the dining room table.  Right now it’s got a typewriter and an art project on it, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be moved for possible togetherness.

  • Mon:  bratwurst, baked potatoes, grapes, watermelon, carrots
  • Tues:  corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, fruit
  • Wed: Prince Spaghetti Day! pasta with beans and sausage, spinach salad, fruit + veg
  • Thurs:  dumplings, egg drop soup, pork fried rice, fruit + veg
  • Fri: fried halibut, coleslaw, hush puppies, fruit + veg

This is a week of meals I like. On Thursday, Boy can help with chopping and cooking the rice, and on Friday, Tiny will be able to help bread fish and slice cabbage with the mandolin.  We’ve got St. Patrick’s Day covered, and a new dish for Wednesday.  

Typing that put John Bender’s lunchtime comment to Brian in The Breakfast Club in my head:

 “PB & J with the crusts cut off… Well, Brian, this is a very nutritious lunch; all the food groups are represented. “

Which isn’t the worst thing that could happen. I could still have All About That Bass stuck in my head!

The ad post will be up next. Stay tuned, and make sure to check FB and Twitter for sales I find when I’m out and about!

Cheep Cheep!

Dinner Score, Week 18

In a shocking twist, I get 15 points for the week!  That’s what creating the plan halfway through the week will do for you.

Unfortunately the Russian judge and I agree that I am disqualified from any score for last week.  We are tough!

  • Mon: french toast, sausages, scrambled eggs, cuties, cucumbers
  • Tues: roast chicken, cucumbers, kiwi, mac and cheese, green beansphoto
  • Wed:  salmon cakes, fettuccine, salad, watermelon, green beans
  • Thurs:  pork curry on rice, baby carrots, watermelon
  • Fri:  tuna noodle casserole 

I did finally get my casserole!  It was pretty hysterical–as soon as DH realized I wasn’t kidding when he asked what was for dinner, he started scheming to take kids out to eat. Eldest found a friend that wanted her over for supper. Tiny and Boy suddenly weren’t hungry.  I sat in my rocking chair, not at all sad that I was going to have it all to myself.  It was Dinner and three happy lunches for me!  Add to that the funny sight of everyone trying to politely jump ship and it was a win for Cheepie.

This week’s plan post is coming up today, so I’ve got less of a cheat going this week.  

We’ll have to see what Yakov thinks come next weekend!

Mid-week Plan Post

Yes, I realize that starting the plan three days into the week is clearly giving myself an advantage, but after last week’s home-cooked catastrophe I think it’s understandable. 

If it helps, I did have a plan for Tuesday, and followed it, there just wasn’t time to type up a plan post–things are hectic over here at Casa Del Cheepie!  Add my need to catch up on The Goldbergs (you really should be watching this show for the sets alone–I want all the posters in the kids’ rooms!) to all of the general running around, throw in a modicum of personal hygiene, and time flies by.

  • Mon: french toast, sausages, scrambled eggs, cuties, cucumbers
  • Tues: roast chicken, cucumbers, kiwi, mac and cheese, green beaFettuccini Stock Photo - 26722660ns
  • Wed:  salmon cakes, fettuccine, salad, watermelon, green beans
  • Thurs:  chicken curry on rice, stir fry vegetables, fruit
  • Fri:  tuna noodle casserole. dammit.

Can you believe I still haven’t made the casserole!?! Me neither. It’s happening this week.

I think I’m even going to go ahead and put peas in it at this point, since it’s so unlikely that anyone else will want it and I’ve now been waiting forever. There should be drive-thru casserole places.   Just drive up, and they hand over the casserole of your choice. Then you go home, eat, and have a good night’s sleep with a belly full of happiness.

Here Be Dragons. And Cheeseburgers.

I really thought about just straight-up lying this week.

Then I realized lying about imaginary dinner points on my blog was crazy. So we’re all just going to have to work through this together.

I’m sitting here actually trying to delay the part of the post where I list dinner!  I’m trying to think of jokes to distract from my week of meals.  We’re just going to get this over with:

  • Mon: El Mercado. For my non-Austin fans, that’s a Tex-Mex restaurant.
  • Tues: Sonic. For non-TX fans, that’s a drive-in burger joint
  • Wed:  P Terry’s, carrots, cantaloupe/Date Night. P Terry’s? Drive-thru burgers
  • Thurs: venison stew, broccoli, sourdough bread, cantaloupe
  • Fri:  I don’t even know. They ate french fries at the lodge, and I made spaghetti when we got home, and I’m sure I put blackberries out because there are so many in the fridge.

This was the plan:

  • Mon:  venison stew, cantelope, spinach, dinner rolls
  • Tues:   salmon cakes, polenta, blackberries, broccoli
  • Wed:  baked chicken, pasta, salad, fruit, fresh bread
  • Thurs:  hamburgers, fruit &veg
  • Fri:  Refrigerator Buffet

Points-wise? This is going to be a 3. 3 points. Two for venison stew day for being on the plan and involving all the food groups, and one for Friday because I technically followed the plan (with a pre-game of fries) and found a nutritious meal for the night.

There were a few factors that combined to cause this dinner mayhem. I had a meeting night, and DH worked from home a bit. There was a scheduled ice storm that then did not occur, making grocery shopping a risky bet. Most importanly, when DH and I are home together all day, we tend to want to go out in the evening, so we bailed on dinner.  

All in all, this is easily the worst week since the Dinner Accountability Program started. I’m mortified at how the week looks, especially because I know all the other meals eaten weren’t really enough to make it a wholesome week. 

Onward and upward!  If I can’t beat a 3 point week, there’s not really much hope for me, is there?  Let’s all see what happens next. 

Happy Ad Wednesday

Cheepie is going to admit a huge bias here. 

I know Fiesta has a ton of really low fish prices.  This is increasingly evident as Lent rolls on, with a few fish less than $2/lb. I don’t list them on the Happy Ad Wednesday post because the fish department at my Fiesta is very, very fishy smelling.

I know, it’s jammed full of fish and so it smells like fish. But everything my grocery training tells me I should buy fish in a place that smells like ice, with bright-eyed dead fish. Not in a fishy smelling place with cloudy-eyed fish I’ve never heard of (Hilsa fish? That’s not a thing. I’m not even going to google to see what this imaginary fish is). 

So, where do you buy fish? Am I being a fish snob? That’s entirely possible. I am still tempted by the smelts, if only because I know if they go all wrong I can feed them to the chickens.  My frugal side and my grocery girl side often war about the fish at Fiesta, so if you have thoughts please share!

That said, here’s the week.  I’m going to be stocking up on Blue Bell and pork loin ( I didn’t get to Randalls last week to get it).

Fiesta

pork blade steak, family pack                 1.49/lb (Fiesta Limit)

medium live crawfish                               1.89/lb

bscb,family pack                                     1.79/lb (Fiesta Limit)

Blue Bell                                                   4.50/ea

shredded cheese, 8oz.                              1.33/ea

assorted pork chops, family pack              1.99/lb

chicken drumsticks, family pack                   99c/lb

organic potatoes                                         1.29/lb (DD)

HEB

large avocados                                      1.50/ea (C15)

blackberries, 6oz                                   1.25/ea

strawberries, 1 lb.                                  1.25/ea (DD)

red plums                                               88c/lb

organic strawberries, 1 lb                    2.98/ea (DD)

mini carrots, 1 lb                                   98c/ea

yellow or orange bell peppers              97c/ea (DD)

Rio Grande Valley grapefruit, 15lbs.    3.98/ea  (C15)

pork loin                                               1.97/lb

HCR drumsticks or thighs                    1.00/lb

bone-in pork chops                              1.97/lb

Randalls

pork shoulder country style ribs             1.79/lb

Large Image

Friday only:

12-stem alstroemeria bunch  $5

(Enough to put little vases throughout the house, to help spring get here sooner!)

Sprouts

red or green seedless grapes                        88c/lb  (DD)

Halos mandarins, 5lb box                             3.98/ea

various apples                                                98c/lb  (DD)

organic red, yellow or orange peppers        1.50/ea  (DD)

organic kale                                                  1.50/ea  (DD)

boneless skinless chicken thighs                 1.99/lb

bulk brown rice                                              69c/lb

Almond Breeze almond milk                          B1G1

Wheatsville

Lara Bars                                    1.00/ea

organic rolled oats                      1.19/lb

Whole Foods

red, yellow or orange bell peppers         98c/ea  (DD)

I’m using the new 2015 EWG guide for the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen rankings.  If you’d like to read more you can here.  As always, I make choices on organic v. not based on how much of it we eat and how much of a hit it is on our budget.  You should make your choices based on what you’ve prioritized for your shopping.

If you’ve prioritized smelts, though, for heaven’s sake let me know what you did with them!

Follow Cheepie on twitter, like Cheepie on Facebook, and let your friends know I’m here wrapping up the ads for Austin shoppers!

Week 17 Meal Plan

This week is heavy on the berries and melon I stocked up on at Sprouts on Friday at the 48 hour sale.  If it weren’t so cold, it would be half gone already, but watermelon isn’t the high-demand item in 40 degree weather that it is when it’s 90 degrees!  I’ll also be using meat from the deep freeze this week, because I didn’t quite get around to shopping the way I’d meant to last week.

Which leads me to a question: How do YOU shop? Why do you think it’s best for your family? What do you wish was simpler?

Cheepie wants to know.

I have friends that do a once-a-week, and friends that buy as they go.  I stock up on things on sale, but then end up in stores several times a week getting what we run out of.

I’m a down-to-the-last-roll tp shopper. My kids don’t understand a lot of what I do, but running the gas tank until the light comes on, and not buying toilet paper until at least one bathroom is out rank high on their list of ‘Things Mom Does That Make No Sense’.

I like to think that this is how, as a parent of three young-ish kids, my inner wild child comes out.  I can run you all the way up to Cedar Park, and not stop for gas. I WILL IGNORE THAT LIGHT.

Here’s the plan for this week:

  • Mon:  venison stew, cantelope, spinach, dinner rolls
  • Tues:   salmon cakes, polenta, blackberries, broccoli
  • Wed:  baked chicken, pasta, salad, fruit, fresh bread
  • Thurs:  hamburgers, fruit &veg
  • Fri:  Refrigerator Buffet

This is hopefully a plan that will have me at least scoring in the double digits.  Follow me Eggandidustjacket.jpgon Twitter and Facebook to see how I do during the week!

And honestly, if you think I’m even a little bit funny, you need to read some Erma Bombeck.  She’s the bomb.  And then, if you’ve got a bit of old-time sentiment, read her predecessor, Betty MacDonald. Do you remember Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle? She wrote those, AND wrote some hysterical autobiographical fun that turned into a movie where she was portrayed by Claudette Colbert.  I know when I’m turned into a movie I want Claudette Colbert playing me!

Cheep On, Cheepsters!

Week 16 Dinner Score

Mistakes were made. The plan was a good one (that chicken on Monday? the leftovers were supposed to turn into the chicken fried rice for Wednesday. smart!), and was manageable. 

But it was cold here this week. Texas cold, to be sure, but still cold. I was tired and cranky.  So we wound up eating what was in the fridge and having less-than-composed meals.

Which is okay.  Sometimes that happens.  I still followed through with Thursday being Boy’s night to fix dinner, and Friday is Tiny’s.  They both stuck with the whole meal all the way to clean up, and are both still daydreaming of being on Master Chef Jr.

The plan:

  • Mon:  roasted chicken thighs, green beans, spinach salad, raspberries.
  • Tues: salmon, asparagus, blackberries,
  • Wed: chicken fried rice, egg drop soup, steamed spinach, fruit & vegphoto 1
  • Thurs: clam chowder, potato soup, fresh bread, fruit, cheese
  • Fri: tuna noodle casserole, salad

The actual:

  • Mon: roasted chicken thighs, green beans, spinach salad, raspberries. 3 points.
  • Tues:   leftover pork, cantelope, mashed potatoes, peas. 1 point.
  • Wed: Chinese takeout. 0 points.photo 2
  • Thurs: soup & sandwiches, salad, blackberries. 2 points.
  • Fri:  pasta, meatballs, tomato sauce, Caesar salad. 2 points.

So I’m on the very low end of respectable at 8 points.Two meals got 2 points for being basically on the plan and nutritious, just on the wrong day.  The one point meal was a solid meal but not the plan. 

The take out is no points, but we were all really happy–we hadn’t had anything from First Wok in a while. Turns out it’s been so long that the kids have added a whole section of the menu to the list of things they’ll eat.  Chicken lo mein, welcome to Rancho del Cheepie!  It was also lunch the next day, and the good kind of leftovers (meaning the kids can all fix themselves plates without needing an assist from me). So even though it was a no point night, I can’t really bring myself to be upset about it.

You’ll have noticed that the tuna noodle casserole is missing.  I’d forgotten that Friday was Tiny’s night, and since she hates tuna I couldn’t really have her be the one that cooked it.  Plus, she might have messed it up, and then I’d be eating terrible lunch all week! Can’t have that.  This week though, it’s a casserole whose time has come, and you can look forward to hearing how well-received it was.

Or who wound up eating cereal for dinner.

Cheep Cheep!

Week 16 Goal Post

Four months! That’s crazy. But math doesn’t lie–16 weeks is four months and that’s how long since I started the Internet Dinner Accountability Program for Remedial Family Dinner.  I did abandon the whole ‘sit at the table’ idea, but overall we are eating out and ordering take-out less than we were before.  Eating at home is the first step!

I’ve also gotten completely out of the habit of creating more than one meal, which is a relief to the portion of my brain that had been devoted to ‘plain noodles for Tiny, noodles with pesto for Eldest, DH and I eat pasta with sauce and meat, and Boy gets meat and those other noodles he likes’.  That part of my brain has been busy for about a decade now, and is enjoying kicking back and spending time thinking about what kind of tape JLo’s got her closet stocked with to make her Oscar gowns stay right the heck where they’re supposed to be (gaffer tape? superglue tape? straight up magic tape? is she a WIZARD???), and how to make a centrifuge out of Lego.

Continue reading →

Week 15 Dinner Score

The plan this week went pretty well. There was rearrangement, and we didn’t all eat together at all because of timing, but we all ate the dinner made with the exception of one skip night where DH and I ate out.  Call it a ‘mental health’ meal (where mental health involves Happy Hour priced fried jalapenos).

I did add in a night where Boy cooked dinner, and am working on adding a night for Tiny.  Eldest is now doing cleanup twice a week in lieu of dinner, since she’s not home soon enough to take over cooking for a night.  This is all part of my Everyone-Lives-Here-Everyone-Works-Here plan, which I’m hoping will eventually mean I don’t have all these piles of laundry all over the place.  Through food, I shall see laundry done. That’s an Erma Bombeck quote, right?

The plan:

  • Mon:  grilled cheese, tomato soup, strawberries, cucumberphoto 1
  • Tues:  Taco Tuesday! pulled pork tacos, fixins, beans, fruit & veg
  • Wed:  linguine with clams, garden salad, garlic bread, fruit
  • Thurs:  sesame chicken, pork dumplings, rice, veggie stir fry, pineapple
  • Fri:  venison stew, egg noodles, garden salad, homemade rolls, fruit

The actual:

photo 2

  • Mon: exactly the plan. 3 points.
  • Tues:  pulled pork, chicken, rice and beans, carrots and strawberries. 3 points.
  • Wed:  sesame chicken, rice, broccoli, plums. 3 points.
  • Thur:  chicken strips, carrots, peas, strawberries, rice noodles (Boy cooked dinner!). 2 points.
  • Fri: grilled sandwiches, leftovers. 1 point.

12 points is a damn fine week. I’m happy. And do you see that meal with the homemade chicken nuggets and peas? That’s what Boy chose to make! He was a grphotoeat sport about it. I gave him the protein/starch/raw veg/cooked veg/fruit plan, and he chose the foods to fill in.  He breaded the chicken and cooked it, and we both had a good time in the kitchen getting him familiar with pan-frying and getting all the food ready at once.

And then he also wanted to make a cake. In his defense, he mostly wanted to make the cake, not dinner.  We’re doing a new thing where his dinner day is Thursday, though, and so the cooking doubled up on us.  He made this cake.  The stress level was pretty high (spoon in the Kitchen-aid is NOT a good thing!), but the cake is wonderful, and he’s so happy with it. 

Plan post coming up, along with the long-promised Clearance Rack Index! So stay tuned, Cheepsters!

Cheep Cheep!

Week 15 Plan Post

My recent weekly scores have me thinking about attempting a return to the Family Dinner table.  It really didn’t work for us on my last attempt, and when we did all sit down the stress level (me) and eat and run with minimal talking (everyone but Tiny) were just a horrible way to end a day.

The weekly meal plan, where everyone eats what’s served, and some of us eat together and others later has been working. There are days where I’ve thought about hollering everyone over to the dinner table, but I’ve held off, because I don’t want to push my luck. Having everyone say ‘thank you’ for a meal and not ‘I don’t like this’ or ‘Do I have to eat this?’ is a big step toward my own peace of mind. I don’t want to mess that up! 

I am considering picking a day and calling it Family Night, so that once a week we’re all at the table. Maybe next week. I’ll keep you posted.

Here’s the plan:

  • Mon:  grilled cheese, tomato soup, strawberries, cucumber
  • Tues:  Taco Tuesday! pulled pork tacos, fixins, beans, fruit & veg
  • Wed:  linguine with clams, garden salad, garlic bread, fruit
  • Thurs:  sesame chicken, pork dumplings, rice, veggie stir fry, pineapple
  • Fri:  venison stew, egg noodles, garden salad, homemade rolls, fruit

Items on sale that I’m using this week: strawberries, ground pork, pineapple, cheese.

Also this week I’m staring a ‘Stock the Freezer’ plan. When I started the blog, I’d decided to work on utilizing my freezer and pantry, and that’s been successful. So now I can start stocking back up!

This week’s project is pork dumplings.  DH and I both love them, and while you can buy them in a giant sack at Costco for about $10, they’re tastier when you make them at home.  Ground pork is on sale at Sprouts for $2.99/lb, which isn’t as cheap as buying the pork briskets at Fiesta for $1.99 and grinding my own but in the interest of not having it be an all day project I’m going to buy the ground pork.

They freeze better than anything, and you can steam them, fry them, or boil them when you’re ready for a batch. Just put them on cookie sheets and slide into the freezer,  and then fill freezer bags up with lovely frozen pockets of yum. The recipe I’ve linked to makes 100 dumplings, and it’s a process that’s easy to break up if you’ve got some helpers.

Until next time, Cheep Cheep!