Meal Plan - Dinners - week of Sept. 22-28

I'm a little behind getting my menu together this week thanks to having a 3 day weekend with my girls.
I did most of my shopping this week at Aldi and Sam's, but didn't get any meat because we had to stop at a few other stores before driving home. I took advantage of the local grocery store deal, and got 5 packages of fresh meat for $25.
Sunday we used our center cut pork chops and made marinated kabobs. I have to say this balsamic rosemary marinade was amazing! I also roasted some yellow squash and brussel sprouts, made a yummy sweet apple coleslaw, and some macaroni and cheese for hubs an the kids.
We had the leftovers from Sunday for lunch on Monday. For dinner we ate out at the home style buffet where kids eat free on Mondays. We only spent $15.xx for all 4 of us to eat salad, main course, and dessert.
Tuesday we had leftover beans I froze the last time I cooked pintos with tomatoes, and a yummy dairy free corn bread. My menu says we had meatless nachos because that was my plan for the beans, but once I opened the fridge I realized we were out of sour cream, my cilantro was wilted, and the avacados were riddled with black spots, so plans changed. 
Today I am cooking a beef roast with onions and celery. Sides for this meal will be green beans, homemade wheat rolls, and fried squash.
Thursday the leftover roast will be chunked and added to a beef stew with a combination of fresh and frozen veggies. 
Friday I'm taking it easy and cooking breakfast food. Saturday we will have basil chili pork chops with coleslaw, corn on the cob, and butter herb rice. 

Meal Plan -Dinners September 15-21

This week my meal plan will end on Friday because we are planning a shopping trip for Saturday, and I'll be planning the meals after that around the ads that go into effect on Wednesday. 
This Sunday we are trying out something new and fun! I have hot dog buns, but no hot dogs so I'm trying out a grilled hamburger patty in the shape of a hot dog. Hopefully the kids will think this is cool, and decide to eat since they rarely finish a regular hamburger (weird, right?).

Last week we skipped our last pork chop meal, and ate out because I was exhausted from being up all night with the baby, so i still have those chops. I'll be cooking them sweet an sour style on Monday with carrots and green beans.

Tuesday we will have meatless nachos with homemade guacamole. I got avacados at 3 for $1 this weekend, so that makes for a healthy and cheap side. I will also use leftover beans from tonight with a little chili and cumin added for mexican flavor (so technically they will have some meat).

I have just enough natural bacon left to make breakfast for dinner on Wednesday - always a big hit with the kids. 

Thursday we will use the pork chops I bought this weekend on sale for 40% off. The sides will be roasted brussel sprouts, spinach pear salad, and corn on the cob. 

We get paid on Friday so we will treat ourselves to a meal out!

Meal Plan - Dinners for the week of Sept. 8-14

Using the Food Planner app on my Android phone, I've created a dinner meal plan for the upcoming week.

Tonight we will be having meatless nachos in an effort to use the fresh salsa my husband HAD to buy at Sam's Club last week. Even with no cheese (which I can't eat anyway) the kids are very excited about getting nachos for dinner because they get to build them themselves.
Monday I will put an all-natural pork roast in the crock pot with a glaze similar to the recipe for chili rubbed pork tenderloin with apricot ginger glaze. I'll probably throw some carrots in with it, and serve with salad and a packaged Knorr Chicken Broccoli Rice Side.
Tuesdays meal of pork carnitas will be made with leftover roast. I'll shred and season some of the meat with mexican seasoning, and sautee in oil with onions and peppers, then serve that with some guacamole and salsa on flour tortillas.
The last of the leftover roast will be used on Wednesday night to make BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Served with green beans and corn on the cob.
Thursday I am making kabobs with some chuck tender steaks. Marinating and grilling cheap cuts of steak on kabobs is the best way to use them, in my opinion. onions, and squash will accompany the meat on the skewers, and will be served with baked sweet potatoes and salad.
Friday I will be cooking a pot of pinto beans with hamburger and tomatoes. This is a hearty dish that I LOVE to cook in the colder months, but since I've had a hankering for some beans I'll just hope it cools off a little by this Friday. I'll serve these with some corn bread and possibly a batch of fried potatoes/sweet potatoes.
Saturday I will be trying out a new recipe for sweet and sour pork chops. Hopefully it turns out good and I can add it to my arsenal of pork recipes, since we eat so much of it. I'll make rice and steamed garlic green beans to accompany them.

These meals are not set in stone, and I may change it up depending on our schedule and what we're in the mood for each day.

The app is pretty simple to use so far, but it's kind of a pain to have to have a recipe in order to add the item to my menu plan. Once I started adding the snack foods from my pantry to the "inventory" list, I realized we have WAY too many snack foods! Most of them end up in the girls' lunch boxes, but now I know I don't need to purchase any snacks for the next few shopping trips. So far the app is helping me keep my kitchen a little more organized. Now we'll see if I can stick with it.

Mobilizing My Meal Plan

There are many advantages to meal planning. They are a great way too save money and time, reduce stress and waste, and avoid expensive restaurant and take out meals. Purchasing all the ingredients you'll need for a week's worth of meals means less trips to the store, and more time with your family.

I don't always write down a formal meal plan, but usually have a good idea of what we will eat for the week. Lately, this has been a struggle for me, though. Perhaps it's adjusting to our new school schedule that has thrown me off. Whatever it is, I decided to try out an app to keep track of the groceries in my fridge and pantry, and create meal plans. I downloaded Food Planner to my Android phone today.

So far I have added a few of our favorite recipes and the groceries that I'm currently stocked up on, and made a plan for tonight's dinner.
I love that I can add recipes from the web, making it really easy to keep track of everything in one place instead of trying to jump from page to page for the recipes I need. Adding ingredients was simple, and allowed me to adjust quantities and add notes. I can't wait to use the bar code scanner to add additional groceries with no typing out descriptions.

 

Creating the meal plan was as simple as tapping the recipe I wanted to use!

I'm on a tight budget for the next two weeks, so hopefully this app will make it easier to stick to a meal plan. I'll definitely write an update and report how it goes.

Do you meal plan? What tools have been helpful to you? Please share any tips you have for making meal planning work.