My Frugal Week
This was a week of planning meals from what we have on hand and was more of a cook once, eat twice kind of week.
Chicken Broth in the making
On Saturday we stopped in at Walmart for cottage cheese. They had their rotisserie chickens marked down to $2.02, so we bought five of them. I came home, deboned them, put the bones in the crockpot and all that good chicken meat in the freezer for future meals. I was able to get two gallon size bags of meat from the chickens and six pints of chicken broth for the freezer.
Photo of the Week
Our first cantaloupe of the season, which was delicious and cost $4 from a roadside stand. He had watermelon for $12, but that was out of my price range.
What’s for Dinner
Monday & Tuesday ~ Chicken Soft Tacos, Corn or Flour Tortillas, Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Red Onions, Tomatoes, Black Olives, Chipotle Sauce.
Wednesday & Thursday ~ Smoked Sausage, Potatoes, Green Beans & Onion Baked Casserole.
Friday & Saturday ~ Chicken, Cucumber Salad, Stir Fry Vegetables. I added onions and peppers to the chicken along with Asian seasonings to go with the stir fry theme.
I thought about going to the store for tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese and making our favorite tacos, but rather than do that I made dinner out of what we had here. It was a big hit and I saved money by not going to the store. Use what you have at home and save yourself some money.
Sunday ~ Bailey was out of the house with her book club friends and I had a family event to attend. They made taco meat on the Blackstone and homemade queso with all the fixings. It was delicious.
What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?
Belinda
Homemaker at Heart
There is a true rewarding feeling when you don't go to the store and you just check the pantry and freezer and make do with what is on hand. Everything is so expensive these days it's nice to be able to stay away from the grocery store once in awhile. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Connie, it’s rewarding to make do with what is on hand to make a meal. Thank you.
DeleteThat rotisserie chicken was a seriously good buy! I would have done the same as you. I need to do what you are doing and make dinners from what we have on hand (which is too much anyway) but I might need to add some fresh vegetables.
ReplyDeleteI love it when I find the rotisserie chickens on markdown like that. Fresh vegetables for the win! I made a cucumber tomato salad that we enjoyed several days. Nothing beats fresh vegetables.
DeleteYour Menu Plan Monday is both inspiring and practical—a true example of frugal, no-waste living with a cozy touch! That $2.02 rotisserie chicken deal at Walmart was a serious win, and the way you stretched it into bags of meat and broth is exactly the kind of resourcefulness more people need these days. “Cook once, eat twice” is my favorite kind of kitchen magic!
ReplyDeleteYour meals sound comforting and budget-friendly too:
Chicken Soft Tacos with chipotle sauce? Yes, please.
That smoked sausage casserole sounds like something straight out of a classic family recipe box.
And the Asian-style stir fry—genius move using what you had and skipping the store run. That’s frugal power!
Also, that cantaloupe looked amazing—what a treat from a roadside stand (and $12 for a watermelon is wild, totally agree on skipping that one!).
Thanks for sharing your meal ideas—it really shows how planning ahead and using what's on hand can keep things delicious and affordable. Wishing you a great week ahead in your frugal kitchen! 🍽️✨
Thank you so much, Asep. The cantaloupe was so good and refreshing, just delicious. I hope you have a great week ahead too.
DeleteI'm not sure where but when I just this year learned about making broth in slow cooker it was game changing. Either overnight or all day and now I always seem to have broth which is such a versatile ingredient. Your blog probably is where I read it!
ReplyDeleteIt’s an easy way to make broth without the fussing with a pot on the stove. It’s such a great flavor addition to so many recipes.
DeleteWOW - cantaloupe already! No roadside ones here for a few months yet. Yum.
ReplyDeleteIt’s an easy trip to Florida to get fresh produce this early in the season, so a lot of people do that for a living here. They are already selling cases of tomatoes too.
DeleteI forgot to say, there is no sweeter cantaloupe in the world than those grown in Indiana, Cheryl. Whenever we drove up highway 41 on our way to Illinois, we always stopped for the cantaloupes. They taste like candy there!
DeleteGood job on the rotisserie chicken! We started low carb/keto last week. I’m thinking tacos in low carb wraps or taco salad. I’m going to try creamed cantaloupe (potato) this week. I just love cantaloupe. It’s my favorite summer fruit. Great buy at $2!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Penny. Tacos and taco salad sound so good!
DeleteYum! Sounds delicious! Great buy on the chickens too.
ReplyDeleteI bought a watermelon on sale at Kroger, and it was actually pretty good for this early in the season.
Hope you have a great week.
Thank you, Kathy. Yum on the watermelon. We’ve Al eaten the cantaloupe, so a watermelon would be delicious right now. 😂
DeleteWhat a deal on the rotisserie chicken! Nice work shopping from your own fridge/freezer/pantry. - Hawaii Planner
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteYes looking through the pantry and fridge a;ways saves money
ReplyDeleteIt sure does, Kim.
DeleteIsn't it wonderful to use what you have and not head out the door to shop.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Yes! I love that. 💕
DeleteWe got a watermelon for 4.67 at Walmart today. I'm hoping it is good. I never remember to look for marked down chickens. That is a fantastic deal!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lana. That was a great price on the watermelon.
DeleteI love finding a cache of marked down rotisserie chicken at Walmart too! Unfortunately, it doesn't happen to me much anymore as I order in the app and have hubby pick it up. But I used to go looking for it because it's a great way to save money.
ReplyDeleteYes, I’m not inside Walmart often, but do love when I find this deal.
DeleteI wish I could be around marked down chicken! This last week, we cooked pork chops and chicken in the over at the same time in their own cooking bags in same pan. Then, from frozen chopped hamburger meat, we made spaghetti, Then, I cooked four burgers in a pan and stored half of it in the refrigerator. This was for lunches and dinners. We had fresh tomatoes in salad and other vegetables. Every day, I have blueberries and other fruit.
ReplyDeleteDelicious, Linda. All of that sounds so good.
DeleteLinda!! Where have you been? Why aren't you on your blog anymore? Did you change it?
DeleteI was scared to death something bad happened to you. So glad to know you are okay.
Sorry to hijack your blog, Belinda, but I am just so happy to learn that Linda is okay! Sue
No worries, Sue. I worry about Linda too when she doesn’t post on her blog.
DeletePractical Parsimony above.
ReplyDelete👍
DeleteHi, Belinda! I have followed your blog for years and always find tips that are very helpful to me. If you can give me your snail mail address, or an email where I can contact you to get the address, I have some things I would like to send Bailey for her shop.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Carol. This is Belinda. You can email me at Bar2969@gmail.com, please.
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