Meal Planning Monday- end of the month scrounge

 Last week of the month! This month I am very close to the wire, so we will be having some "creative" meals, haha. We try for a protein, a carby thing, and a fruit or vegetable at every meal. Sometimes there is no protein, but usually I always, always make sure there is a fruit or vegetable. Sometimes, when I am figuring out what we are having to eat, I find I need to let go of traditional ideas for meals. Sometimes we might need to have breakfast for dinner, or a traditional dinner food for breakfast. Sometimes we swap having three meals in a day to having brunch, an early dinner and a night time snack. Sometimes we have strange combinations, like we did one night at the end of December, we had homemade cheese pizza with a side of roasted sweet potato!

 When menu planning like this, I lean heavily on shelf stable foods I have squirreled away for a rainy day/week and using up every single thing in the fridge. But you may also be using a box from the food pantry to try to figure out a plan. And I am a person who needs a plan.I find it easier to make combinations if I am looking at foods, so I will open all the cabinets up, or lay the food from the box out and start thinking! 

  This week I have the following things already in my house and I have $20 to fill in the gaps:

In the fridge I have: a few stalks of celery, carrots, milk, 4 eggs, a package of sliced cheese, shaker parmesean cheese, sandwich condiments (ketchup, etc), grape jelly, 1/2 can of black beans,  some leftover shredded Buffalo chicken, margarine, bacon grease

In the freezer I have: I bag of cheap chicken patties, half a bag of peas

In the cupboard I have: rice, 1 box spaghetti noodles, 1 can each of corn, green beans, black beans, refried beans, peaches, crushed pineapple, some tea bags, a little coffee, oatmeal, flour, sugar, oil, spices and chicken bullion cubes, three potatoes, 1 onion, half a jar of peanut butter and two sleeves of saltine crackers.

Listing it out like this looks like more than when I laid it out! 

  Next I make as many meals I can using the food I already have or a meal where I might only need to buy one thing.

After I figure out meal potentials, I can make a list of ingredients I need to buy to make the leftover things into meals, and voila! I have a plan, and don't have to worry about it the rest of the week.

Here is what I came up with:

Monday-

• Breakfast- Oatmeal with 1/2 can of peaches
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us- Buffalo Chicken on crackers, boiled egg, carrot sticks
  
• Dinner- Soup made with celery, carrot, a little chopped onion browned in bacon grease, chicken bullion and rice, crackers
  

Tuesday-

• Breakfast- Toast and scrambled egg, 1/2 banana
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us leftover soup and crackers
  
• Dinner- fried rice served with diced chicken patties

Wednesday-

• Breakfast- Oatmeal with other half can of peaches
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us Cheese sandwiches, 1/2 can crushed pineapple, boiled egg
  
• Dinner- Chicken parmesean made with 4 chicken patties, green beans
  

Thursday-

• Breakfast- Toast and scrambled eggs, 1/2 banana
  
• Lunch- Kids eat at school, Us pb & j, other 1/2 can pineapple
  
• Dinner-  fried potatoes and onions and 4 sliced hot dogs, peas

Friday-

• Breakfast- toast and scrambled eggs, 1/2 banana
  
• Lunch- Kids at school, Us pb & j, carrot sticks
  
• Dinner- Box mac and cheese, 4 sliced hot dogs, baked beans
  

Saturday-

• Brunch- French toast
  
• Dinner- bean and rice casserole- mix together black beans, refried beans, taco seasoning- dollop on top of cooked rice, top with cheese slices- bake or microwave until cheese is melted and heated through, serve with corn
• Snack- crackers with peanut butter
  

Sunday-

• Brunch- Egg sandwiches, fried potatoes and onions
  
• Dinner- leftover bean and rice casserole, what ever vegetables are left
  
• Snack- crackers with peanut butter
   

 And here is what I bought: $19.76

2 loaves of bread- $2.38

30 count medium eggs-$3.69

6 bananas- $1.77

1 box of saltines- $1

1 5lb bag of potatoes- $2.55

1 bag frozen peas and carrots- $1

1 can spaghetti sauce- $1

1 envelope taco seasoning- $0.49

1 box mac and cheese- $0.59

1 package hot dogs- $1

1 bottle pancake syrup- $1

1 big can baked beans- $1.79

1 small jar of peanut butter- $1.50