Saving Money in My Frugal Kitchen ~ Week #2 November 2025

  

What’s for Dinner

Monday ~ Grilled Chicken, Garden Salads, Red Grapes & Clementines. 

Tuesday ~ BLTs made with Turkey Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomatoes. 

Wednesday & Thursday ~ Egg Roll in a Bowl, Baked Potatoes, Acorn Squash. 

I’ve been reading on several blogs recently about the even higher increase in the price of beef. One solution to that dilemma is to use ground turkey, but add beef bouillon and some Worcestershire sauce (thanks to Cheryl for the tip) to make it have more of a beef taste. This is what I did with this recipe using ground turkey for the meat at a significant savings. 

Friday ~ Loaded Baked Potatoes & Salad

This was such a busy day, so I made something quick and simple for dinner. 

Saturday & Sunday ~ Lentil Loaf, Green Beans with Onions & Potatoes, and Carrots. 

Using what we have, I took a package of previously cooked lentils out of the freezer to thaw to make lentil loaf. I had some diced red pepper in the fridge I wanted to use, so I did add some to the loaf. I used one of the cans of tomato sauce I bought this summer at a yard sale for 25 cents, but only needed four ounces, so I saved the rest for later. 

The green beans, carrots, and potatoes were all free from the Mennonites and PHP. Even if I had to buy those items, potatoes and carrots are some of the cheapest vegetables to purchase (carrots 97c lb., potatoes 45c lb.), so we save money by incorporating them into our meals regularly. Using today’s prices I can make this lentil loaf for under $3.00 and the whole meal was less than $4.00 for me to make. 

Lentil Loaf Ingredients: 1 cup lentils (31 cents) 2 cups water (free) 1 teaspoon salt 1 small onion, diced (33 cents) 1 cup quick oats (28 cents) ¾ cup grated cheese ($1.12) 1 egg, beaten (18 cents) 4 ounces tomato sauce (25 cents) 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon basil ½ teaspoon seasoned salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper Directions: Add salt to water and boil. Add lentils and simmer, cook 30 minutes until soft. Mash lentils. Add onions, oats, and cheese until mixed, Add eggs, tomato sauce and spices. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

The lentil loaf makes eight servings and I eat one with dinner, so that leaves enough to repeat this meal on Sunday and have leftovers for lunches this week. 

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

Belinda

Homemaker at Heart

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

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