Menu Plan Monday (May 31)

Last week I was M.I.A. for Menu Plan Monday, but I'm back this week. I have decided to try to crack down on how much money I spend on groceries - not because I have to -but because I want to. My husband works hard to provide for our family, and as a homemaker, I see it as my joy and responsibility to wisely spend his hard-earned money. Because I am the one in charge of grocery shopping and cooking around here, this is one area I can work on wiser spending. Although our grocery bill has decreased since I began menu planning, I am pretty sure that I can still cut it down quite significantly. Since we only have one child, I currently have the time to sit down and strategically plan out meals. However, I am not willing to sacrifice taste or nutrition in this challenge. My husband really enjoys the way I cook, so I am planning on him not even noticing a difference in taste or quality.

Here are a few strategies I am going to use in order to hopefully accomplish this:

• Use the weekly flyers and take advantage of what's on sale
  
• Waste less food by freezing veggies and other things that we do not eat
• Make homemade things like my own veggie stock for soup out of scrap veggie pieces (saves money and is much healthier than store-bought stock)
  
• Get creative with using what I have on hand in the pantry and freezer
• Get creative with using leftovers. Since there are just 2 adults to feed, we usually have lots of leftovers.
  
• Make a budget and just stick to it!

Here's my menu plan for this week:

Sunday, May 30
Lunch: Leftover pizza
Supper: BLTs, creamy broccoli salad (will share recipe soon)

Monday, May 31
Crock pot teriyaki steak, stir fry veggies, rice

Tuesday, June 1
Leftover stir fry or chicken enchiladas from freezer if there are no leftovers

Wednesday, June 2
Macaroni Grill penne rustica (adapted from here) (NEW), Caesar salad

Thursday, June 3
Leftover penne rustica

Friday, June 4
Lemon dill pollock (NEW), baked potato wedges, mixed veggies

Saturday, June 5
Chicken enchiladas from freezer (if not already used on Tuesday) OR hot dogs(from freezer) and mac n' cheese (pantry), OR homemade pizza pockets (from freezer -my husband LOVES these!)

*For more great meal ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday hosted by orgjunkie.com*