Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in our Frugal Kitchen

 

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen

My Frugal Week

We ran to town on Thursday to pick up a new water filter for our kitchen faucet and stopped in at Aldi for a few groceries. Red grapes are on sale for 99¢ a pound this week, so we picked up a couple of bags of those, along with five cartons of eggs for 98¢ each. Lettuce, tomatoes, cantaloupe and watermelon were also added to our cart. 

On Friday evening I washed all the melons and cut them up to be stored in the refrigerator. I like to cut melons on Fridays, so the rinds can go off with the garbage on Saturday. Then on Saturday I rearranged items in the refrigerator to avoid food waste. We eat onions every day,  and I usually have a small bowl of them in there and and I don’t want any of them them to go to waste. 

Recipe of the Week

Back in 1996 some friends and I were members of the Slim & Trim diet club and we would meet once a week, share recipes and support one another on a low carb diet.

This recipe for "Almost Spaghetti" uses bean sprouts rather than spaghetti noodles to avoid the carbs in the pasta. I used to make it quite often back then and remember it being tasty. 

Almost Spaghetti

Ingredients:

10 ounces ground beef

14 ounce can bean sprouts

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions: 

 

Brown ground beef in heavy skillet and drain.

Add pepper, onion, tomato sauce, and spices.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add bean sprouts and heat through.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ I took the second part of the rotisserie chicken from last week out of the freezer and added enchilada sauce, corn, pinto beans, and cheese and rolled them into enchiladas. I topped with more enchilada sauce and cheese and then served them with green peas and black olives. 

Tuesday ~ It was movie night at the actual theater, so we picked up a pizza at the local Italian restaurant and enjoyed that once we arrived home. 

Wednesday ~ I had some rice in the refrigerator that I needed to use up, so I split it into two and made both Fiesta Rice and Rice & Cheese (Like Mac & Cheese, but with rice instead) for dinner. I served both with a garden salad on the side. I was out of American cheese, so I used cheddar instead and it was a big hit. 

Thursday ~ Chicken Fajitas with Onions, Tortillas, Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes, and Corn. We have plenty of leftovers for lunch on Friday. 

Friday ~ Bailey had a movie night with one of her friends and had pizza for dinner. So, I had the night off from cooking and had a delicious peach over cottage cheese. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ I decided to make  Chicken & Chili Chimichangas, which is one of my favorite dishes. I used mild green chilies, so there is no spicy heat involved, which I prefer. I served this with corn on the cob, lettuce, tomatoes and diced onions. Watermelon for afterwards. 🍉 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

I'm wanting to try a new recipe this week for Green Chicken Chili and if it works out I will share it with you next week. We are also having Almost Spaghetti and we have chicken, pork, and bacon on hand. And we have plenty of beans for meatless dishes also. So, be sure to come back next week to see what sides we serve with these main dishes. 

Belinda

Mortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27

Homemade yogurt that didn’t set up well – mixed with some homemade jam;

Leftover Jell-O that didn’t set up well or Jell-O that you make for this purpose from a store brand.

Juice or syrup left over from canned fruit. 

Juice that has been in the fridge and needs to be used up.

Kool-Aid or lemonade mixes bought on sale.