Monday, August 31, 2009

Meal-Planning from the Shelves and Freezer

When I finally entered the enormous pile of receipts (for the entire month of August) into Quicken, I was shocked and horrified to realized we had already spent the next 15 days' worth of grocery money!! My heart pounded, I felt nauseous, and I began to sweat. [Now, on a side note, we incorporate diapers/wipes/pullups as well as "dining" receipts (including Stewarts runs and Dunkin Donuts) into the large "grocery" category. Our grocery store receipts are usually kept within the budget; it's the little stops here and there that add up, ($200 extra one time!!)]
Anyway, when I realized we now have $0 to spend on groceries until September 15th, I ran to the freezer and cupboards and was relieved to find I could pull a few meals together. Next, I took out my trusty meal-planning calendar and started listing my meals. Guess what? I did it! I was able to come up with enough off-the-shelf meals to get us to next pay day! It's true, we may need to stop for milk and a little bit of fresh fruit (but no mint cookie crumble spooner pints from Stewarts!) Here's what I've planned:
Chicken Nuggets/Raw Veggies Slices/Dipping Sauce
Grilled Chicken Salad
Stuffed Peppers
Pancakes/Fruit/Sausage
Tilapia in Ginger Sauce/Rice/Veggies
Spaghetti & Sauce
Turkey Meatloaf/Potatoes/Veggies
Oven Stuffer Chicken/Rice or Potatoes/Veggies
Hot Chicken Sandwiches/Stuffing/Veggies
Homemade Pizza
Waffles/Fruit/Sausage
Chicken Noodle Soup/Biscuits
Egg/Broccoli/Bacon Casserole/Applesauce

2 comments:

  1. its crazy to me that you can make THIS MUCH STUFF from your freezer and pantries! LOL.... and i am always surprised at all of the foods your kids eat. thats so awesome.....when it comes to healthy food livi can be pretty picky....SOMETIMES.... but she still doesnt eat everything that we make...

    keep the blogs coming. i love them.

    tell me more about this QUIKEN? i have an idea of what it is...

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  2. great job Kristina! you are amazing! and i'm sure Mr. Hill appreciates this! ;)

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