Budget Friendly Meal Plan Week 12

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What’s up with this weather. One day it’s in the 70’s and the next it’s below 30. I wish it would hurry up and make up it’s mind, I’m ready for grilling weather!

I actually had a couple of recipes on this weeks menu to cook on the grill. I ended up changing them because the weather decided it wasn’t quite ready to cooperate.

Here’s what our meal plan looks like this week:

Budget Friendly Meal Planning

Leftovers

Salsa Verde chicken, Spanish rice and seasoned black beans, leftover from Saturday.

Doritos Chicken Casserole (from Yellow Bliss Road)- served with a tossed salad.

Serves 8
- Recipe Notes: The casserole is made in a 9×13 baking dish, it calls for 2 chicken breasts or 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken. It uses a whole 9.75 ounce bag of Doritos.
Cost cutting tips:
- This recipe only uses about 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken so if you have any leftover chicken in the freezer this would be the perfect dish to use it in. Rotisserie chicken also works really well in this recipe.
- Make your own cream of chicken soup for a fraction of the price.
- Don’t buy the bags of salad. Instead buy salad ingredients separately, it’s cheaper and you’ll get mor for your money.
- Make your own salad dressing, it’s cheaper and tastes better. Bonus, you only have to make what you’ll use so no more wasted space in the refrigerator.

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak (from Moms with CrockPots) – served with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Serves 4
Cost cutting tips:
- This recipe calls for lean ground beef, which can be pricey. To cut the cost, purchase when it is on sale or purchase in bulk at a fraction of the price.
- Instead of throwing out the heels or stale bread, store them in a Zip-loc bag in the freezer. Whenever you need bread crumbs or garlic toast pull out what you need.
- You can make beef stock for free, using ingredients that you would normally throw away. Simply boil together 1 gallon of water, with 1+ pounds of beef bones and fat, 2 cups of leaves and ends from celery, 2 cups of the ends from carrots and 2 cups of peels and ends from onions. Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer for 3-4 hours.

Leftovers

Doritos chicken casserole and tossed salad from Tuesday nights dinner.

Salmon Patties – served with rice pilaf, and green beans.

Serves 4
Cost cutting tips:
- Instead of throwing out the heels or stale bread, store them in a Zip-loc bag in the freezer. Whenever you need bread crumbs or garlic toast pull out what you need.
- Make your own rice dish instead of buying the boxed versions, it’s cheaper and you know exactly what is in it.

Carne Asada (The Stay at Home Chef) – served with Spanish rice and pinto beans.

Serves 6
Cost cutting tips:
- Instead of using flank steak for this recipe, which can be pricey and sometimes hard to find, I like to use a chuck roast or steak, sliced thinly. Chuck roasts and steaks go on sale regularly, so if you like carne asada you should stock up.
- Make your own Spanish rice instead of purchasing the preservative packed options.
- Make your own pinto beans, it’s a cheaper option and they are simple to make. You can even make enough to freeze for another meal.
- Make your own flour tortillas for a inexpensive and delicious replacement.

Kielbasa and Fried Potatoes – served with fried cabbage, buttered carrots and for dessert a delicious Boston cream cake.

Serves 4
Cost cutting tips:
- Keep your eye out for sales and always purchase store brands when available.

Download – Week 12: Menu & Shopping List

Budget Friendly Tips

✔ If you are looking for a meal that is both inexpensive and filling, soup is a great option. They are also a great way to use up your leftovers.

✔ Stock up when prices are at there lowest. Sales usually go in a 3 month cycle, so if you see an item at it’s rock bottom price, buy enough to use between now and the next sale.

✔ One way that I keep my grocery bill low is by using coupons for the items that I need. I rarely plan my menu around the coupons that are available, I find that I end up spending more. Instead I create my menu first and then look for coupons that will lower my bill.

Time Saving Tips

✔ When cooking be sure to clean as you go, it will save you time after dinner so that you have time to spend with your family.

✔ Spending a little time meal planning can make your life so much easier. It’ll save you time and money, improve your nutrition, it’ll make cooking more manageable and it will give you more control over what you put on the table.

✔ A simple way to save yourself some time in the kitchen is by prepping your food for the week. This can be done by simply washing your fruits, chopping your vegetables or portioning the food for each meal. It’s up to you how much you want to do to save yourself sometime later in the week.

About Our Meal Plan

✔ Our menus are designed to feed a family of four, two adults and two teenage boys. It can also feed two adults and 3-4 young children.

✔ Many of the meals included in our meal plan are budget friendly to begin with, however we do offer tips that will reduce the grocery bill even further.

✔ Our menus do not include breakfast or lunch. Our family eats a pretty simple meal for breakfast and lunch, like cereal or sandwiches and sometimes leftovers. We don’t make to much of a fuss over it.

✔ Sunday dinner is our biggest meal of the week, that’s when all of the family gets together, so we tend to spend a little more money and include dessert. I try to make enough for leftovers during the week.