Meal Planning

Since meat is one of the most expensive things on our grocery list each week, I’m always looking for ways to stretch good cuts of meat in our weekly meal plans. I also like to stock up on meat when it often goes on sale — especially around the holidays {turkey at Thanksgiving, ham at Christmas, etc.}

This year, I managed to get a 16 lb turkey for less than $2.00 and two whole hams for about $4.00 each during those holiday sales {with coupons/rebates/etc}. I already have plans for the turkey in a couple weeks, and last week I used up one entire ham… because we ate it every single day!!

No, we didn’t eat leftovers all week long, and we certainly didn’t have boring, tasteless meals. In fact, when I asked Dave if he realized we had eaten ham every single night, he gave me a shocked look and said he never even noticed! I’m sure our girls didn’t notice either… especially since they both really seem to like ham.

So essentially, I fed 4 people for an entire week {and had leftovers} with one $4.00 ham… pretty impressive

Here’s what we ate.

Sunday = Traditional Ham Dinner

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On Sunday, I made a “traditional” ham dinner with potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, applesauce, roles, etc. Definitely not the most cost-effective meal, but it sure tasted delicious!

Monday = Ham and Chicken Lasagna

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I found a new recipe for ham and chicken lasagna; and since I had a bunch of cooked and shredded chicken in the freezer, I made 2 large containers of this lasagna and put one in the freezer for later. A side salad and garlic bread rounded out our Monday night meal.

The recipe I used was from a church cookbook, but this is a similar one.

Tuesday = Baked Sandwiches

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Ham and Cheese Baked Sandwiches have quickly become one of our favorite weeknight meals — so this was on the menu for Tuesday night {and then we all had them in our lunches the next day}

Wednesday = Slow Cooker Western Egg Casserole

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I shared this recipe with you last week… and seriously, it was so good. Everyone had seconds and we even had plenty left over for breakfast the next morning!

Thursday = Chicken Cordon Blue

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Homemade chicken cordon blue is surprisingly easy to make. Simply pound chicken breasts until they are all quite thin, then layer with thin slices of ham and cheese. Role up the chicken breast, secure with a tooth pick, and dip in breadcrumbs. Here’s a really easy recipe.

Friday = Ham & Potato Soup

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We LOVE soup (especially on cold winter days) and one of our favorites is ham and potato soup. It’s so thick and creamy, and is also great as leftovers.

Saturday = Leftovers

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Even after an entire week of ham, we still all scarfed down leftovers for lunch and dinner on Saturday. Everyone got to pick and choose their favorites from the week and I didn’t have to cook

We still have a little ham left and I’m sure we will eventually eat it on salads or sandwiches…but for one $4.00 ham, I think we ate pretty well for the week!

What are your favorite ways to stretch the meat in your meal plans?

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10 comments →

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed.

Congrats to the following winners:

1. Lynette R (blssedmomof2@…)
2. Juliet L. (julielawrence@…)
3. Dorcas B. (threebylers@…)
4. Stef V (stefcoupon@…)
5. Katie (Stampinladybug2004@…)
6. Filomena (filomena.serpentina@…)
7. Robin (robin.phelan@…)
8. Jamie C. (jaylc84@…)
9. Jennell (Jennell_hicks@…)
10. Michelle (pmprdmichelle@…)

I will email the winners shortly!

I talk a lot about meal planning — because it’s something I do every week in an effort to simplify one of the busiest times of the day for our family.

I absolutely hate wondering ‘what’s for dinner’ — especially when it’s already 5:00 and everyone is hungry. By this point, it’s too late to defrost something, it’s too late to go to the store for ingredients, and it’s almost to late to make anything that requires prep work. So instead of saving money {and a lot of calories} it just seems easier to go out to eat, get fast food, or make an expensive overly-processed frozen meal from the store.

Sound familiar?  I’ve been there… more than I’d like to admit! 

Thankfully, meal planning helps me to not only plan ahead, but also to make sure I buy the appropriate items from the store, defrost certain ingredients the night before, and save a whole bunch of time, money, wasted food, and stress!

I used to just write our weekly meal plans in my planner, but then everyone would always ask me what we were having for dinner. So when I got the Scrummylicious Meal Planner from the Victoria Chart Company, I immediately posted it on our fridge so everyone could easily see what’s for dinner each night of the week.

So far, I’m a huge fan of his ultra-simple meal planning chart. There is plenty of writing space for each day, so I often write down different meetings or events we have as well — and there is a big blank area at the bottom where I list any items I need to buy on my next grocery shopping trip

I’ve really benefited from using this handy chart, so I’m excited to give TEN of them away today!

The Giveaway:

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Today, TEN lucky Simple Organized Living readers will win a Scrummylicious Meal Planner from the Victoria Chart Company! 

How to Enter:

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1. Leave a comment. What is your biggest challenge when it comes to meal-planning?

2. Like Simple Organized Living on Facebook, and then leave a separate comment letting me know you did {or that you do already}.

If you are reading this in your email or feed reader, please visit the actual blog post to enter. Email entries, Facebook comments, and Twitter messages will NOT be counted.

Prizes:

(10) Scrummylicious Meal Planners as described above.

This giveaway ends at 10:00 pm on Monday, 1/30/2012 and is open to all U.S. and Canadian residents 18 years or older. I will use And the Winner Is to select the winning comments at random. Winners will be notified by email and noted at the top of this post. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize or I will choose a new winner. Please see my full disclosure policy and contact me with any questions you have. Good luck!

200 comments →

Thanks to my new meal planning method, we have breakfast for dinner once each week. We do this partially because we really like breakfast foods, but also because breakfast foods are great way to get lots of protein {egg, yogurt, milk, and cheese} without spending money on expensive cuts of meat.

However, the one thing I don’t always like about breakfast foods is the inability to prepare them ahead of time {pancakes and eggs aren’t that great reheated!}. So, ever since I got my new slow cooker for Christmas, I’ve been on the lookout for simple breakfast recipes that could be made ahead of time in a slow cooker.

Since we really love omelets and egg casseroles, I figured I would start my “breakfast in a slow cooker adventure” with an egg recipe. I wasn’t exactly sure how it would turn out because I simply used whatever ingredients we had in the house… however it really turned out to be quite delicious {and I got to smell it cooking all day long!}

Recipe for Slow Cooker Western Egg Casserole:

{print this recipe}

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs

• 1 32 oz. package frozen hashbrowns

• 2 c. cooked ham or sausage

• 1 medium onion; chopped

• 2 peppers chopped {I used a mixture of colored peppers from our freezer}

• 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

• 1 c. milk

• 1 c. sour cream

• 1 t. garlic powder

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Spray 5 or 6 qt. slow cooker with nonstick spray

• Layer ½ of the hashbrowns, meat, onions, peppers, and cheese.

• Repeat with a second “layer” of hashbrowns, meat, onions, peppers, and cheese.

• In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, milk, sour cream and seasonings. Pour mixture over the rest of the ingredients in crock pot {don’t stir… just let it settle}.

• Put the lid on and cook on low for eight hours.

If you want to speed things up a bit, you can cook it on high for the first 2 hours and then on low for about 4 more hours… however, I wouldn’t cook it on high the entire time.

I served our Egg Casserole with toast, jam, fresh fruit, and yogurt.

This recipe would also be a delicious, no-fuss breakfast — just turn the slow cooker on the night before!  And of course, you could substitute your favorite meats, cheeses, veggies, etc. to fit your family’s taste buds.

Have you make breakfast in a slow cooker before?

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Make sure to visit the Simple Organized Living Recipe Box for lots more simple, delicious, family friendly, budget conscious recipe ideas!

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I got a new slow cooker for Christmas and have already used it a couple of times. I actually have 3 different slow cookers — all different sizes — but to be honest, I haven’t used them as much as I should.

So this year, my goal is to use a slow cooker once a week — or at least a few times each month.

I’ve already made a couple really delicious meals since Christmas {recipes coming soon}… but here are a few more I definitely want to try this coming year.

1. Vegetarian Lasagna — we try to eat one meatless meal each week… and this one looks pretty good!

2. Santa-Fe Chicken – another Mexican meal to add to my recipe box

3. Apricot Pork Roast – talk about simple… there are only 3 ingredients besides the pork

4. Herb Chicken — a very easy way to cook a whole chicken

5. Chicken Enchilada Soup — we love my enchilada recipe, so I’m sure we’ll like the soup version too

6. Chicken and Dumplings — only 4 ingredients other than chicken!

7. Overnight Steal-Cut Oatmeal — this would be great for quick morning breakfasts

8. Triple Chocolate Cake — who knew you could make cake in a crock pot!

9. Beef Stew – I absolutely love making stew with leftovers from Sunday dinner

I already have one very successful slow cooker recipe to share with you later this week… and I’m sure I’ll be sharing more over the next several months!

What are your favorite slow cooker recipes?

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This time of year, when the weather is getting cold and holiday festivities make life even busier, I often rely on my crock pot to help get dinner on the table.

I’ve actually been using my crock pot so often that I’m asking for a larger one for Christmas… hint hint

One of the reasons I love using my crock pot is because I can just dump all the ingredients in, turn it on, and walk away. I don’t need to stir a boiling pot and I don’t need to pull something out of the oven on time… I can simply go about my day and come back in several hours to a hot meal and a delicious smelling kitchen!

It doesn’t get much easier than that!  

About a month ago, I recieved two really simple crock pot recipes from Sandy — a very loyal reader. Since then, I’ve made both recipes and can attest to how simple and delicious they are.

Sandy suggests buying the meat when it’s on sale and then making big batches of the following:

source:

Pulled Pork Loin

• one can of apple pie filling
• one pork loin
• one bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

• spray crock pot with cooking spray (for easy cleanup)
• dump in the apple pie filling, put the whole pork loin on the pie filling and top with BBQ sauce.
• cook on low 8-10 hours
• pull pork apart and stir to mix with pie filling and BBQ sauce
• serve on buns or your favorite bread

Creamy Turkey or Chicken

• 6+ cups of cooked and shredded turkey or chicken
• 1 can cream soup (mushroom, chicken or celery)
• 1 can french onion soup

Directions:

• mix all ingredients in a crock pot
• cook on low 6 hours
• stir and serve on buns or toasted bread

I’ve made both of these recipes and they really are so quick, simple, and delicious. Plus they make a lot of food — which means you can eat some now and put the rest in the freezer for later!

Thanks for the delicious recipes Sandy!

What are your favorite Crock Pot recipes?

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10 comments →

If any of you celebrated a traditional American Thanksgiving like we did, you’re probably still completely stuffed from all the turkey you consumed these past few days!

And while I love a great cut of meat as much as the next person, I also realize that using less meat is one of the simplest ways to stretch a small grocery budget.

So if you’re looking for another way to reduce your monthly expenses, head on over to the Plan to Eat blog to see some of my favorite less-meat meals.

With just a few simple alterations to your weekly meal plan, you can enjoy a nice savings on your grocery bill… just in time for some holiday shopping

What are your best tips for using less meat?

3 comments →

Obviously, I can’t be sure… but I’m really, REALLY thinking {and hoping} that my baby is coming this week!

So I have another relatively simple weekly menu planned… with lots of quick meals that could be shoved in the freezer if necessary! However, since I have everything planned, that will be a good reason for the baby NOT to come… right??

If you don’t currently have a method for meal planning, feel free to follow our weekly menu {below}, and make sure to check out some of my free meal planning resources at the bottom of this post!

{delicious old-fashioned chicken pot pie!}

Menu Plan Monday {11/07/11}

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DINNERS:

Monday — Chicken Pot Pie {made with leftover Sunday Dinner}

Tuesday — Baked Sandwiches

Wednesday – Omelets and toast

Thursday — Ham and Potato Soup {I’ll be making a double batch for the freezer}

Friday — leftovers or pasta w/ my favorite sauce

Saturday – leftover or taco salad

Sunday — grilled chicken, rice, and veggies

DESSERTS:

Zucchini Brownies

Ice cream

Any of the sweet snack options below

SNACKS: 

Granola Bars 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Candy Corn/Peanut Mix — my favorite fall treat!

Peanut butter, Chocolate chip cookies

Chips and pretzels

Crackers and cheese

Popcorn & homemade caramel corn we got as a gift!

Organic Fruit Leather

Fresh and dried fruit

More Meal Planning Resources:

• Brows some of my weekly menu plans from past weeks

• Check out my entire Recipe Box for lots of simple, delicious meal ideas

• Print any of my FREE meal-planning printables to make it that much easier!

• See how I  plan our meals each week

• See how I plan our weekly shopping trips

• Check out all my posts about meal planning

What are you eating this week? Any new recipes?

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Here are a bunch of my meal plans from past weeks.

And make sure to visit the Simple Organized Living Recipe Box for lots more simple, delicious, family friendly, budget conscious recipe ideas!

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