Welcome back to Midweek Meal Planning for the week of 4/22/15! Yes, it’s more traditional to meal plan on the weekend, but since our Chicago grocery deals mostly flip midweek, and since Wednesday hump day is when many of us start running out of steam, we buck the trend here and go with Wednesdays.
This week has been kind of a mess with people hither and yon, so we have been eating a lot of leftover slow cooker pork carnitas — that 8 lb $.99/lb pork roast from Jewel this past weekend luckily made a lot of leftovers, though, and no one ever complains about the repeat. Plus, with the cheap avocados and El Milagro tortillas from ALDI? Yum.
- Sunday: MashupDad and Junior High Guy were out at a concert, and Mr. 8 and I scrounged, lol.
- Monday: Leftover carnitas.
- Tuesday: MashupDad was out of town, and the kids and I had… wait for it… yes, leftover carnitas.
- Wednesday: MashupDad got home from his trip earlier than he usually gets home from work, so we had carryout (courtesy of Mashup Grandma, who sent a gift card for my birthday!) while watching Night at the Museum 2. Hey, if we can meal plan midweek, we can have family movie night midweek, right?
- Thursday: Portobello mushroom pizzas. 8 oz Galbani mozzarella was $1.50 after coupon at Pete’s a couple of days ago, and 7 good sized mushrooms ran me $5.58. We’ll use Hormel pepperoni ($.50 after a $1.00/2 coupon at Dollar Tree), spinach, olives, whatever else I can scrounge up for toppings.
- Friday: I’m hoping to grill some sockeye salmon from Jewel with potato packets and salad. (Last time it was on sale my store never got it in, though, so we’ll see.) Backup plan: Grilled chicken.
- Saturday: OK, I know it’s really punting to say breakfast for dinner… but I’m pretty sure we’re having breakfast for dinner. It’s going to be a crazy activities day, and we have a bunch of farm fresh eggs to use up.
Your turn
How’s your week of meal planning going? Are you cooking mostly out of your pantry, or are you taking advantage of this week’s grocery sales? Let’s inspire each other!
Maureen
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
My freshman started playing volleyball last month and it's wrecked TOTAL havoc on meal planning. The boys go across the street after school to chow down Chipotle or Subway or McDonald's before practices or games (they eat lunch at 10:30 and are starving by 3) so by the time he gets home he's not interested in a big dinner. So we're just winging it during the week and I don't see that changing until school's out. I LOVE having a plan so am not liking this new normal.
SoapboxTray
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
Not sure if yours would be game for this, but my Mr. 11 was in wrestling this year and he and I would pack some gallon size zip lock bags at the beginning of the week for after school before wrestling. Gogo applesauce, granola bars, water, beef jerky, oranges, apples, and sometimes we would make up a bunch of sandwiches (ham and cheese etc.) and throw them in the freezer and he would grab one of those as well. Just a thought! Our school doesn't have any options to get food after school so it was really out of necessity. He would still be hungry when he got home but not starving like on a normal school day now. :-)
SoapboxTray
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
Making me hungry... Monday I made some chicken tenders with some clearance chicken from Target. You probably notice my trend of clearance chicken as the lovely meat manager has noticed when I stop in there a few times a week. Anyway... best chicken I have made yet (ok well a close second to that sesame chicken recipe you have posted). I took and adapted from a pan seared recipe I found online.
Ate out no kids Tuesday and leftovers Wednesday and tonight have a bunch of meetings so I am not sure yet. Not much of a planning this week. Ugh. I was going to try and cook a turkey but never got around to thawing. Maybe this weekend or for next week.
You are inspiring me though I love this post and look for it every week!
christine
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
I have a HUGE turkey in the freezer as well! I always forget to take it out. Might as well take it out and deal with it. It takes forever to thaw and by that time I can pick a day to put it in the oven or butterfly it or whatever the fancy name is and make it.
christine
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
Sunday: Gnocchi and Meatballs Monday: Crock pot Louisianna Pot roast (Jewel)- it had Aldi baby carrots, onions( loose onions at Caputos .33/lb last week) and tomatoes (Joe Caputo .99 Romas last week), Tuesday: leftovers and frozen pizza Wednesday: Pesto Pasta with rotisserie chicken from Costco, zucchini on sale at Cauputos Thursday: I think Chopped Salad with leftover Rotisserie chicken, grape tomatoes and avocados from Aldi last week, bacon from a Jewel sale long ago, Kraft cheese Friday: Roast chicken (I found a huge one in the freezer), Aldi carrots and mushrooms, potatoes (Joe Caputo sale last week?), going to try Rachel's butterflying technique. Crossing my fingers I can do it! Saturday: tacos with Joe Caputo ground beef $2.79/lb, Aldi tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, cilantro/lime rice, corn tortillas or chips I'm going to brown 8lbs and store in freezer for future use. Trying to stay organized for dinner during sport season.....
rachel
Thursday 23rd of April 2015
Well my plan has already changed -- my Jewel of course didn't have the salmon so I stopped by Ultra Foods and got the cheap corned beef instead, lol.