Frugal in Franklin

Menu for the Week of 7/6 to 7/12

Here is our menu for the week. I've put an asterisk next to items that came in our CSA box from Delvin Farms. You'll notice the menu is short a few meals this week because we are headed out of town. I also have eggs on the menu more often than usual so we can use up what we have before we go.

Monday

Roasted Potatoes*(check back later in the week for recipe)

Grilled Squash*

Basil and Balsamic Marinated Tomatoes* (I add a little minced garlic)

Tuesday

Kale*, Feta, and Onion* Omelettes 

Cantaloupe*

Pan Fried Potatoes*

Wednesday

Spaghetti w/ Sauce

Tossed Salad*

   

Thursday

Pasta Alfredo

Sauteed Garlic Kale*

Tossed Salad* 

 

Friday

 Out of Town

 

Saturday

Out of Town

 Sunday

 

Out of Town

 

The day we arrive back in town we will have a Bird's Eye Voila meal. It's important to plan this one ahead, as I will be tempted to order a pizza after a day of driving!

Menu for This Week

 

Here is our menu for the week. I've put an asterisk next to items that came in our CSA box from Delvin Farms. I'm also showing our Sunday breakfast plan. We always eat extra on Sunday mornings so that we can make it through the both services at church.

 

Monday

Cabbage and Potato Hash* (Check back later in the week for the recipe. This is yummy!)

Tossed Salad*

Kale*

 

Tuesday

Spaghetti w/ Veggie Sauce*

Tossed Salad*

Parmesan and Basil Squash*

 

Wednesday

Rumbledethump*

Collards*

 

Thursday

Stuffed Summer Squash*

Kale*

 

Friday (Mom's Gone, Dad Cooks)

Barbecued Pork Sandwiches

Potato Wedges*

 

Saturday

Basil, Squash, and Onion Frittata*

Zucchini Muffins (made w/ yellow squash*)

 

Sunday

 

Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos (scrambled eggs, sausage, and cheddar cheese wrapped in a tortilla)

 

Dinner:

Oven Barbecued Chicken

Green Beans*

Cabbage Salad*

Roasted Potatoes*

 

Menu for the Week of 6/15 to 6/21

 

 

I have included our side dishes this week to help give you an idea of how we will be using our CSA share for the week.

 

Monday:      Spaghetti w/ Turkey Sausage

         Yellow Squash Ribbons With Red Onion and Parmesan

          Tossed Salad

   

Tuesday:     Tacos

         Sliced cucumber, baby carrots, broccoli w/ dip

   

Wednesday:  Rumble de thump

        Sauteed Kale

        

   

Thursday:      Macaroni and Cheese

        Sauteed Beet Greens

        Watermelon Slices

   

Friday:     Squash Casserole

        Tossed Salad

        Collard Greens

   

Saturday:      Broccoli Cheese Quiche    

        Green Beans

 

Sunday:     Baked Potatoes w/ Broccoli and Cheese

        Sauteed kale

        

        

 

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Toast w/ Peanut Butter, French Toast Sticks, Bagels, Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins , Cold Cereal, Bacon and Eggs 

You can see more menu ideas here.

 

 

 

 

Menu for the Week of 6/8 to 6/14

 

 

Monday: Spaghetti w/ Turkey Sausage

   

Tuesday: Nachos

   

Wednesday:  Cabbage Salad

   

Thursday:  Sloppy Joes

   

Friday: Barbecued Chicken Pieces

   

Saturday:  Grilled Pork Chops

 

Sunday: Pasta Salad

 

I plan 2-3 servings of fruits/vegetables with each dinner, but most often I throw these together at the last minute, rather than planning them up front.

   

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Toast w/ Peanut Butter, French Toast Sticks, Bagels,Whole Wheat Banana Muffins , Cold Cereal, Breakfast Burritos 

You can see more menu ideas here.

Menu for the Week of 6/1 to 6/7

 

Monday: Pasta Salad

   

Tuesday: Tuna Casserole

 

Wednesday:  Tacos

   

Thursday:  Creamy Beef Over Noodles

   

Friday: Grilled Chicken

   

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza

 

Sunday: Kale, Sweet Potatoes, Salad, and Watermelon

   

I plan 2-3 servings of fruits/vegetables with each dinner, but most often I throw these together at the last minute, rather than planning them up front.

   

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Baked Oatmeal, French Toast Sticks, Bagels, Whole Wheat Banana Muffins, Cold Cereal, Feta and Spinach Omelets

   

You can see more menu ideas here.

Menu for the Week of 5/25 to 6/1

This is a crazy week at our house. It's the end of all the school year activities (like dance recital) and the beginning of summer activities (like swimming). We have an activity going on during the dinner hour every single night this week. I thought you might like to see what my plan looks like for a week like this. It's not glamorous, but it should get us through.

 

Monday: Potatoes Au Gratin with Ham

I'll be using a Betty Crocker Boxed Potato Mix and pre-cubed ham.

   

Tuesday: Meatball Subs

Pre-made frozen meatballs and jarred spaghetti sauce make this a 5 minute meal!

   

Wednesday:  Stir-Fry and Rice-

Contessa makes great stir-fry. I'll add a few extra veggies to stretch it further.

   

Thursday:  Lunchmeat Sandwiches w/ Sliced Fruit and Baby Carrots

Dress rehearsal from 4:30 to 8:30! Dinner in a bag is going to have to suffice. I'll also pull some homemade soup out of the freezer for the contingent at home.

   

Friday: Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches from the Crockpot

   

Saturday:  Spaghetti w/ Sauce from a Jar

 

Sunday: Santa Fe Pasta Salad

Black Beans, Chicken, and Whole Grain Pasta tossed together with whatever vinaigrette I have on hand.

   

 

I plan 2-3 servings of fruits/vegetables with each dinner, but most often I throw these together at the last minute, rather than planning them up front.

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Toast w/ Peanut Butter, French Toast Sticks, Bagels, , Cold Cereal, Cinnamon Rolls and Scrambled Eggs

 You can see more menu ideas here.

 

 

 

 

A Dinner to Share

 

I love to be able to cook for families who are in need of an extra meal. Most often they have had a new baby. Other times, someone in the family is facing a chronic illness or they have had a recent loss. But every time, I struggle to plan a menu that will be manageable for my budget and my schedule. This weekend, we have the joy of moving some of our dearest friends into our neighborhood. I will be taking them dinner, and I thought you might be interested in what I have planned and how it fit into our budget.

The menu:

• Crockpot Ribs
• Garlic Rice
• Fresh Green Salad
• Corn
• My 11 yr. old DD will be making a cake for dessert.

The ribs can go in the crockpot, and the rice can be thrown in my rice cooker. One of my kids can prep the lettuce, and the corn is the steamable frozen variety. All in all, the cake is the time consuming part, and baking is still a big treat for my daughter. She is happy to do it, and it will only require a small bit of "follow behind her" clean up.

What about the budget? After all, we will be cooking for a family of eight (several very young).

Ribs- I purchased the ribs while they were on sale last week at HG Hill for .99/lb. I will prepare about 4lbs for their family, so that's about $3.96. The barbecue sauce was a moneymaker this week at Publix, +.31). I will use onions from our CSA share, so the cost is hard to calculate.

Garlic Rice- The rice is Mahatma from Publix, .19 w/ coupon. I'll use some butter, a few chicken boullion cubes, and some green onions (in place of garlic) from the CSA.

Salad- CSA lettuce will form the base of this salad. If I had to purchase the lettuce, my target price would be about $1.69 for a head of lettuce. (About .85 worth to share) Croutons were free during triple coupon days at HT and Kroger. I'll toss in a few carrot curls for color.

Corn-Frozen veggies are easy to come by during the winter. My target price for these is .25 a bag or less.

Cake- .11 cake mix was a great deal around Easter. I have a little free icing that I picked up during triples days. The eggs my daughter used to make the cake came from our friend's chickens. My son has been chicken sitting for them this week.

The basic cost of this meal is around $5. If you count the green onions, butter, and bouillon cubes, you might be able to get the total up to $6.

I know you may not have friends with chickens or a CSA share. But, I hope you can see the possibilities that stockpiling can open up. Do you have a favorite meal you like to share? Please leave a comment and share it with the rest of us!

 

 

Menu for the Week of 5-11 to 5-17

 

Monday: Italian Chicken Pasta Salad

   

Tuesday: Whole Wheat Pancakes and Bacon

   

Wednesday:  Potatoes Au Gratin and Ham

   

Thursday:  Baja Marinated Grilled Chicken

   

Friday: Homemade Pizza

   

Saturday:   Twice Baked Potatoes

   

Sunday:  Spinach, Rice and Cheese Casserole

   

I plan 2-3 servings of fruits/vegetables with each dinner, but most often I throw these together at the last minute, rather than planning them up front.

   

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Toast w/ Peanut Butter, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Bagels, Omelette, Cold Cereal

   

You can see more menu ideas here.

Menu for the Week of 4/27

 

 

 

 

Monday:   16 Bean Soup

 

Tuesday:    Chicken Salad Pita Pockets (I used light mayo)

 

Wednesday:   Spaghetti w/ Italian Turkey Sausage Sauce

 

Thursday:  Tacos

 

Friday: Chili Mac 

 

Saturday:   Homemade Pizza

 

Sunday:  Marinated Grilled Pork Chops

 

I plan 2-3 servings of fruits/vegetables with each dinner, but most often I throw these together at the last minute, rather than planning them up front.

 

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Toast w/ Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Muffins, Whole Wheat Waffles, Bacon and Eggs, Cold Cereal

 

You can see more menu ideas here.

 

 

 

 

Menu for the Week of 4-6 to 4-12

 

Monday: Beef Stew

 

Tuesday:  Pasta Alfredo

 

Wednesday: Twice Baked Potatoes

 

Thursday:  Barbecue Chicken

 

Friday:  Stir Fry Over Rice

 

Saturday:   Turkey and Stuffing

Sunday:  Grilled Lamb, Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus, Peas, Coconut Lemon Cake

I plan 2-3 servings of fruits/vegetables with each dinner, but most often I throw these together at the last minute, rather than planning them up front.

 

 

Breakfast Ideas for this week:  Toast w/ Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip Muffins, Whole Wheat Waffles, Coffee Cake and Sausage, Cold Cereal

 

You can see more menu ideas here.