Meal Plan Monday and Meatless Burger Patties

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 Meatless Burger Patties

  • Oil for frying
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup oats
  • 1/2 an onion diced, if you have it 
  • 1/2 cup of any other vegetables you want to add (optional)
  • Seasoning- Here is where you can use what you've got. Salt, pepper and garlic go well,or seasoning salt and a squirt of ketchup,or chili powder, whatever you have!
  1. Mash beans as much as possible, mix in eggs, oatmeal and seasonings. I like to add a little ketchup, salt, and pepper
  2.  Shape into patties
  3. Fry till brown, 4-5 minutes on each side or bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes

 Our 2 favorite ways to eat these are like a burger topped with bbq sauce, or with mashed potatoes and cream of mushroom soup gravy. You can make these without the eggs, but they will be very crumbly

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I have a love/not love (hate is too strong a word) relationship with December. I love the lights, I love the cozy, I love all the feels of the holidays. I love the cheesy Christmas movies and the holiday music, and waiting for the Charlie Brown special to watch with my kids.

 But.

 Money seems to fly out the door no matter how closely I plan our spending. No matter how organized I am, or how many presents I buy ahead, it just feels like money disappears faster than we can make it, and that is so stressful.

  By figuring out how much money we will have this month, figuring out how much bills will be, and maybe paying for gifts, at least partially, from the food budget, I can try to make it work.

 Most of our costs stay roughly the same. The water bill, car insurance, how much gas we have to buy, but one area I do have at least a little control over is the food budget. My kids get a lot of treats, instead of presents, for Christmas when money is tight. Because treats are not usually something they get very often, they are very excited by this. For some reason, getting your very own box of Captain Crunch has been a highlight for my son since he was little. I guess since he gets to control when and how much he eats of it, it is pretty cool to him. One of my daughters loves to get her own package of cookies that she doesn't have to share. Both of these things are big enough to wrap and can come out of the food budget or be bought with SNAP benefits. These kind of gifts, along with their own package of capri sun and a bag of cheap candy fill up a stocking nicely, with the added bonus of not having more stuff in the house.

So this month's menu plans are going to be trying to cut costs to the absolute bare minimum. We are going to be eating more rice and beans and pasta, and a whole lot less meat. I have quite a few meatless recipes up my sleeve to share. I plan weekly menus to take advantage of any sales at the grocery store, but every family is different so you should make menu plans that work best for you.

Some people need super detailed menu plans, like the last couple I posted (me raising my hand) but others need more of a guideline. Below is an alternative layout for menu planning

Breakfasts: 

  • Oatmeal or pancakes with fruit
  • Eggs, toast and sausage on the weekend

Lunches: 

Dinners: 

  •  Spaghetti with salad and buttered toast sprinkled with garlic powder,
  •  Meatless burgers with microwaved baked potatoes and canned corn,
  •  Burrito bowls- rice and refried beans warmed in the microwave, taco sauce, lettuce, shredded cheese,
  •  Hot dogs, au gratin potatoes from a box, carrots, pickles
  •  Fried egg sandwich,Pasta salad , peas
  •  fried rice









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