Easy meals and pantry menu planning work really well together. The average kitchen cupboard holds some nice basics for pulling together a simple chili.
We’re obviously tackling an easy week in the food arena. Gotta push through the Pantry Challenge, eh?
My kids love chili dogs with shredded cheese over the top. I buy kosher dogs and usually make my own buns and own chili, so this healthifies an otherwise carnival-kind of junk food. In fact, if you’ve got the sausages already, the chili and bun part is a perfect pantry staple.
I’m happy to see hot dogs on sale at my local Kroger affiliate (Ralphs) this week, so it shouldn’t effect our grocery spending to add this little fun food to the menu. And they don’t know that I’m going to be hiding all kinds of vegetables in the chili. Bwahaha!
Chili Dogs, Veggie Dippers
Pancake Night
Soup, Bread
Potstickers, Stirfry Veg, Rice
Beans and Rice
Pizza Night
Chef’s Choice
(You can read my daily updates of what we actually end up eating here.)
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I have not made a menu for this week, but my 11 y.o. son did! It contains a lot of meat! He is definitely a walking stomach for anything meaty. I will tweek and add the fruits and veggies. We have done really well on our pantry and freezer challenge. And on it will go…..
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taco salad
chicken strips using ritz crackers (freezer/pantry items)
pasta bar
jambalaya (pantry item)
hot ham sandwiches (using the 99 cent ham on clearance)
chili
bbq pork sandwhiches
lunches are sandwiches and leftovers. breakfast is cereal, fresh fruit, yogurt. etc.
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Oh – chili sounds good! Push through the with the pantry challenge. That’s what I’m thinking too. This week will be the hardest since I’m out of a lot of ingredients and money (and my parents are coming to visit). I hope to make it anyhow. My menu’s here: http://www.simplifylivelove.com/2012/01/weekly-menu-freezer-cooking-plan-122.html
Thanks for hosting this challenge! I’m thrilled with the progress we’ve made the last few weeks- even if I do end up getting a few more groceries this week.
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Sunday – Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (new recipe) with English peas
Monday – Lasagna with Garlic bread (rolled over from last weeks menu)
Tuesday – Leftovers (if not, then Breakfast – because we didn’t have it last week, thanks to plenty of leftovers)
Wednesday – Sloppy Joes with sweet tater fries and slaw
Thursday – Leftovers or fend for yourself
Friday – Pizza
Saturday – Field peas with Hashbrown Casserole
I need to put chili or Taco Soup on the menu plan next week. If the temps ever get cold in Georgia!
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I’m in clean out mode for the freezer, and I’m enjoying $2.99/lb chicken breast from Whole Foods.
Here’s my menu for the week, lots of slow cooker recipes and a pressure cooker one thrown in too.
http://randomrecycling.blogspot.com/2012/01/meal-plan-monday-jan-23.html
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Although I’m not trying much that’s new…. I filled my freezer in December so I have a lot of protein choices to work with and a lot of meals that kept getting put off and will hopefully (actually) get made this week! I’m also working on planning breakfasts with “themes,” and adding snacks to the plan.
http://teachinggoodeaters.blogspot.com/2012/01/31-days-challenge-day-23-freeze-meal.html
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This has been such a fun challenge for me. Last week the flu bug stayed at our home for a long visit. So, I was unable to cook like usual. My hubby was the cook. He made 2 trips to the store for convience foods. He is not much of a chef. The children had food and were taken care of. Now that I no longer have the flu I can cook again. So last weeks menu is this weeks menu. We just needed fruit, bread, yogurt, milk, eggs, things like that.
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While I haven’t been posting my menus or updates on the pantry challenge I have been doing it. I plan on doing a blog post soon. Thanks for the challenge – we are using up all these items I thought for sure we would use after sampling them at trader joes – like polenta! What was I thinking. We hated it tonight.
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