Basic Weekly Menu Plan

You are here:  Home / Weekly Menu / Archive / December 1-5, 2008

Are groceries getting unaffordable? Our Frugal Mom Menu can help you save money and time on dinner!

(our sponsor)

Each weekly menu is designed to be easy to make, time-saving and delicious:

1	The menu for the week is summarized on the first page for easy viewing.
2	Menus include recipes and grocery list for 5 nights of dinners.
3	Each meal contains a cost analysis.
4	Each menu includes color photos of many of the featured dishes.

Listen to what these frugal moms have to say about our menus:

Testimonials With the economy being as it is, I started using the frugal menu about 6 or 7 weeks ago and it has reduced my weekly grocery bill by about 30% or so.  With a family of 5, that is a big savings... With all the extra curricular activities we are involved with, it is great that all I have to do is see what is on the menu for that particular day and not have to worry about coming up with something quick.  The grocery list is handy to have.  I just print it off and head off to Wal-Mart...very little thought involved there....and that is good for me=).  My family likes the meals and I find them to be more rounded than what I would come up with on my own and I feel like I am doing better by the rest of the family this way.  Thank you so much for your efforts to make my life easier!!  Deanna H. I love the frugal moms menu because it helps me to save money on my grocery shopping every week.  The shopping list lets me know exactly what I need for the week and I am not overspendign by forgetting things and making extra store runs or buying items more than once.  It also gives me new ideas for my family to try.  My favorite part is the financial breakdown.  I can see what I am spending on food and I can feel good about the food budget for that week. Jennifer J.

How much is it worth to you to save hours of time each month and possibly hundreds of dollars? The Frugal Mom Menu is worth so much more than you actually pay...

The Frugal Mom Menu only costs $5.00/month, but it can save you 10-20X that amount in food costs and hours of planning and cooking time. Order the Frugal Mom Menu today and get a free bonus, How to Save with Roast Chicken!

 

Monday Recipes

Notes for Monday:

1. My daughter brought this recipe home from preschool a few years ago as a Thanksgiving Turkey craft and it has been a post-Thanksgiving tradition ever since. I shared it with you last year and it seemed to be a hit with Menus4Moms, too!
   
   
   

 Gobble Good Turkey Casserole

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2-3 cups leftover turkey

Combine all ingredients in a large casserole dish. Bake covered 30-45 minutes at 350°For until bubbly.

 

 

Bacon Ranch Green Beans

• 1 package (16 oz) frozen green beans
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled or bacon bits* (I like Hormel Real Bacon Bits)

In a skillet, saute the green beans in butter. Add the salad dressing mix and toss to coat. Just before serving, sprinkle in the bacon and mix.

 

 

Cooked Apples

• 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 T. water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until apples are tender. Serve hot or cold.

 

 

Tuesday Recipes

Notes for Tuesday:

1. Couscous, a staple grain in many North African countries, is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. You can find boxed couscous, both flavored and unflavored, near the rice in your grocery store. If you haven't had couscous before, give it a try. Just follow the directions on the box. My kids love it but be warned...my toddler makes a total MESS eating couscous!
   
   
2. If you do not have any black beans in your freezer for tomorrow's Black Bean Salad, tonight might be a good night to restock. See this recipe for instructions on preparing beans for your freezer. I have added a bag of dried beans to the grocery list for this purpose.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 Baked Fish

• 2 lbs. tilapia fillets
• 1 tsp. salt
• Dash of pepper
• 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• Adobo to taste
• Paprika (optional)

Sprinkle both sides of fish fillets with salt and pepper. Mix together melted butter and lemon juice. Dip fish into butter mixture; arrange into an ungreased square pan. Pour remaining butter mixture over fish. Cook uncovered into a preheated 350°F oven, until fish flakes easily with fork, for 25 to 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with paprika before serving.

Couscous

Sugar Snap Peas

• 1-2 small packages fresh sugar snap peas
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. sugar

Wash pea pods. Drain and dry on a paper towel. Melt butter in a fry pan and add sugar snap peas. Toss well and sprinkle with sugar. Heat on medium heat until peas are tender but crisp. Serve hot.

 

 

Wednesday Recipes

Notes for Wednesday:

1. Make the black bean salad ahead of time so it can chill.
   
   

 Crockpot Enchiladas

• 1 lb. ground beef, cooked (from freezer)
• 1 medium onion, sauteed (from freezer)
• 1/2 tsp. Adobo seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 whole wheat flour tortillas
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend* cheese
• sour cream

In a bowl, combine ground beef, onion, Adobo, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, mix the Rotel and enchilada sauce. Place 2 tortillas in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place half of the following in layers over the tortillas: meat, corn, sauce mixture, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

 

 

 Black Bean Salad

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 cups black beans (from freezer*, thawed & rinsed, or from last night if you prepared beans for the freezer as mentioned in last night's notes, or 1 can, rinsed)
• 1 cup cut corn, drained
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp. dried parsley

Combine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and sugar. Mix well and combine with remaining ingredients. Toss before serving.

 

 

Thursday Recipes

Notes for Thursday:

1. I recommend periodically making a double (or triple) pizza dough recipe in your bread machine or large mixer and freezing the extra dough for an easy lunch or dinner another day. The Urban Homemaker has a double pizza dough recipe that is very good. It has variations for garlic, herbed, or seeded dough.
   
   
2. If you are using a bread machine to make dough, time it so that it is ready just before you want to cook the pizza. If you are using a frozen pizza dough, be sure to allow enough time for it to thaw. I like to thaw it for several hours in the refrigerator.
   
   
3. Make a large enough salad tonight to use both tonight and tomorrow night. Add any crunchy ingredients just before serving each night.

Pepperoni Pizza

• Your favorite pizza dough recipe (see notes above)
• 28 oz. can spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• pepperoni

Make pizza dough according to recipe and roll out on a pizza stone or pan. Layer remaining ingredients. Cook at 400°F until brown and bubbly.

Salad

 

Pineapple Parfait

• 2- 20oz. cans pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
• 16 oz. ricotta or cottage cheese
• 16 tsp. honey (about 1/2 cup)
• toasted shredded coconut, for garnish

Whip ricotta cheese until smooth. In 4 parfait glasses, layer 1/4 cup pineapple, 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, and 2 tsp. of honey. Repeat layers and top with remaining pineapple. Garnish with toasted coconut and serve.

 

 

 

Friday Recipes

Notes for Friday:

1. If you start the soup in the morning, the soup has all day for flavors to mingle and develop. If you do not have a pressure cooker, use your crockpot.
   
   
2. This recipe, as any soup recipe, is flexible, designed to use what you have. When I don’t have barley I substitute brown rice. If I don’t have all the veggies I use what I have. If you still have turkey leftover from last week, that can be substituted for the chicken thighs. If you don't have any more turkey, be sure to add the chicken thighs back into your grocery list. My motto is use what you have.
   
   
3. Make a large salad tonight and save the extra for leftovers over the weekend. Just add your cheese, salad dressing and any "crunchies" each night just before serving.
   
   

 Chicken Barley Vegetable Soup

Compliments of Marilyn Moll of UrbanHomemaker.com

• 6 chicken thighs, skinned (or leftover turkey form last week*)
• 2/3 cup barley
• 8 cups chicken stock, broth, or water
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 small carrots, sliced
• 1 cup chopped broccoli florets (optional)
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped or 2 TB tomato powder (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TB tamari, or naturally fermented soy sauce*
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1/8 tsp. oregano
• 1/8 tsp. thyme
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 2 TB minced fresh parsley

Put all of the ingredients except the parsley into an 8 qt. stock pot or 5 liter or larger pressure cooker such as a Duromatic™. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. In the Duromatic™ bring ingredients to second red ring and pressure for 15 minutes; allow pressure to drop naturally. Or simmer the soup conventionally for 1-1/4 hours, stirring occasionally, in a large stock pot. Remove the chicken thighs from the soup. When cooled slightly, remove the meat and cut into bite sized pieces. Return the meat to the soup. Simmer the soup an additional 10-15 minutes if desired. Adjust seasonings to taste, and add the parsley and serve.

 

 Crusty Bread

 

Salad

 

* Indicates that of the options listed, this item is the one on the grocery list.

This week's Grocery List can be downloaded here:

Grocery List for December 1-5 , 2008 - PDF

Grocery List for December 1-5 , 2008 - TXT (for PDAs or text editing)

Shopping List Software format (download shopping list free Windows software)

Find sale prices on the grocery list items with our new Grocery Deals feature (brought to you in partnership with MyGroceryDeals)

Printer-friendly version

Would you like the nutrition data, point values, and meal makeovers for the current menu?

Back to Kitchen Helps

About Us | Media | Site Map | Advertise | Affiliate Program | Privacy Policy and Terms of Use | Contact Us | RSS | ©2000-2010 Menus4Moms.com