Menu Plan Monday ~ Saving Money in my Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #3 ~ June 2025

My Frugal Week in the Kitchen

Last Monday I woke up early for some reason so I made myself useful in the kitchen and made eight mandarin orange gelatin cups since we were out of them. 

I had some onions that must have been older when I got them as they were starting to sprout. So, I cut them up and diced them and made sure to use them before I lost them. We normally go through onions so fast that is not an issue, which makes me think these were older when I bought them. 

I've continued to work on reorganizing our kitchen and pantry this week. I went downstairs and brought a table up from Dad's office and am using that as a drink station in the kitchen. It is definitely a work in progress. 

On Tuesday I made a Tuna Macaroni Salad to have on hand for Bailey for her lunches. I also made a fruit salad, sort of like a Waldorf Salad, but with Greek vanilla yogurt instead of mayonnaise to make it healthier. 

There were some things I needed at the store this week, but rather than spend the money, I decided to make do with what I had on hand rather than make a trip to the grocery store.

I wanted to make cole slaw, but I was out of buttermilk. Rather than go to the store, I used up a bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch Cole slaw dressing. Same with tartar sauce, I just made do with what was here instead of grocery shopping. 

I continued to add to my compost pile in the woods by dumping peelings from all our fruits and vegetables. Luckily, no animals have found it yet as they are bad about eating down my compost when they find it. That is one of the tradeoffs of living in the Cherokee National Forest. 

On Friday I sorted through all my spices and organized them in a new area in the kitchen. Here is a photo of what the area looks like now. You can see my beans in jars collection there too. 

On Sunday I made more gelatin fruit cups for the week. I had three small containers of fruit lurking in the fridge, so I used those up along with a can of fruit cocktail. #useitup

Two big boxes of gelatin with fruit will make eight cups for us to enjoy this week. One small box of Great Value gelatin is now 98 cents while the big box of name brand 

Jell-O costs $1.74. They don't sell big boxes of sugar free Great Value gelatin here, so its cheaper to buy the name brand. 

Recipe of the Week

A simple squash casserole recipe to enjoy this summer.

Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter 1/2 onion thinly sliced 1 small zucchini sliced in rounds 1 small yellow squash 2 large cloves garlic minced 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream 1/4 cup grated parmesan 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. 

Add onion and cook until the edges start to brown. 

Add garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute. 

Add cream and simmer until bubbly and starting to thicken. 

Slowly stir in parmesan. 

Add zucchini and yellow squash.

Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Stir in  cheddar cheese. 

Place in greased casserole dish. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

 

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Beefy Baked Beans, Steamed Carrots, Corn and Sliced Tomatoes. 

Tuesday ~ Shrimp Burgers for Bailey on her movie night and I made the Blue Zones Sardinia Minestrone soup for myself and for lunches the rest of the week. 

Instead of using dried beans, I actually had all three varieties of beans in cans, so used those instead. I also added some vegetables like zucchini that I had in the refrigerator. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Sticky Pineapple Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, and Steamed Edamame. On Thursday I added a squash casserole along with honeydew melon. 

Friday & Saturday ~ Bean & Cheese Enchiladas, Mexican Rice, Broccoli Stir Fry and Corn. I also heated up any leftovers from the week and served those to use them up. 

Sunday ~ Cheesy Taco Pasta Bake, Southern Spoon Bread, and Brussel Sprouts. For this recipe I decided to use a one pound roll of Butterball taco turkey meat. I was out of cheddar cheese for this recipe, but did have pepper Jack cheese in the freezer, so I used that. This was a new recipe for us and I’ll share it next Monday. 

Monday ~ Salmon Patties, Cole Slaw, and Green Beans with Potatoes & Onions. I chopped the cabbage & carrots and made the cole slaw on Sunday. 

Beverages

This week in our fridge you'll find water, milk, cherry apple juice, apple juice, grape juice, green tea, V-8 juice, and fruit punch in order to quench any thirst. The original Hillbilly Housewife Maggie says the best way to save money on beverages is to mix your own at home. 

What’s been on the menu in your home this past week?

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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