Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Meal Plan Monday

 

Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen

My Frugal Week

We didn't need to buy any groceries this past week as we were stocked up with plenty of food on hand. Some meals got creative in my efforts to avoid food waste, but that is OK with both of us. 

This week we were gifted a huge butternut squash. Rather than just bake the squash, I looked in my cookbooks for butternut squash recipes and they did not disappoint me. I plan on using it later this week for some soup.

Recipe of the Week

Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup sliced celery

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (24-ounce) bottle of spaghetti sauce

3 cups beef broth

3 cups water

1 (14-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup sliced fresh green beans

2 teaspoons basil

1 large bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions: 

Brown ground beef in a large soup pot.

Add onion, celery, and garlic.

Cook and stir until vegetables are soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Photo of the Week

Old South Pickled Okra, available from Walmart for $6.92 for a 64 ounce jar and is delicious and only 15 calories for two pods.

Beverages This Week

Sweet or Unsweet Tea 🫖 

Herbal Tea 🪴 

Red Mountain Dew (birthday treat)

Lemonade 🍋 

What’s for Breakfast

Leftovers, Cottage Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Yogurt, Walnuts, Deviled Eggs, Overnight Oats, and Fruit which included Peaches, Oranges and Grapefruit this week.

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~  White Chicken Enchiladas, I did one pan with tortillas and one without. I served this with a spinach salad with tomatoes, and Green Peas. 

Tuesday ~ Movie Night, so homemade pizza for dinner. 😋 

Wednesday ~  Baked Beenie Weenies, Air Fried Potatoes, Green Beans. The cost o this meal was $1.73 and fed two adults plus leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Thursday & Friday ~ I took a whole Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken out of the freezer to thaw.  I pulled all the meat off the bones and chopped the chicken. I had white chicken enchilada sauce left from Monday night, so I used that for a gravy. 

I added some leftovers from the fridge such as peas and cornbread dressing to both complement the dish and use up the food to avoid food waste. It was a huge hit and made dinner for both Thursday and Friday.  

Saturday ~ Dirty Rice with Andouille Sausage for Bailey along with some green beans with onions, and sliced tomatoes. I made Chef AJ's Split Pea Soup for myself. Total cost for the meal was $3.78 with leftovers for several more meals.

Sunday ~ I pulled out the second Lemon Pepper Rotisserie Chicken from the freezer that I bought on markdown for $3.97 at the beginning of the month. I used it to make Fajita Baked Chicken using a free jar of salsa and a 99¢ block of cream cheese. I served this with air fryer potatoes and green beans with onions. Total cost for this dinner was $5.95 and made enough leftovers for more meals later. 

What’s on the Menu for This Coming Week

These are some items we have on hand that I can use to make meals this week. 

October Beans, Greens, Cornbread

Chicken, Corn Chowder

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Split Pea Soup

Butternut Squash Soup

Quiche

Shrimp

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

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