Menu Plan Monday (June 28)

Last week's menu got changed around a bit, so I have a few repeat meals this week. We ended up having taco salad instead of roasted chicken because I needed a quick make-ahead meal and we ate at family's house for Saturday, so I didn't make Tortellini Soup either. My new recipe last week (breaded beef cutlets) was a huge flop. I'm actually not a big meat eater and prefer my meat to not taste like meat (if you know what I mean). I need my meat (especially beef) smothered in sauces and mixed in with things like pasta and veggies in order for me to like it. Well...the beef cutlets just tasted a bit too much like beef for us! Needless to say, I won't be making them again. On a positive note, the new gravy recipe I tried with it was excellent.

As for my grocery challenge...well...I kinda fell of the budget wagon and didn't stick to my budget plan this last week. However, I did still substantially reduce my grocery bill this past month. I think I had set a bit of an unreasonable budget for our family that I'm pretty sure is not sustainable. But after this little experiment, I think I now have a pretty good idea of what is a reasonable grocery budget for our family if I am careful to take advantage of sales and coupons and then menu plan accordingly. I have simple and mostly quick meals planned this week due to my husband's work schedule and the Canada Day holiday.

If you have never tried, I highly recommend trying to make your own homemade pita bread sometime. This flat bread is versatile and freezes very well. It can be used for making pita chips, pita pockets, wraps, and quick pizzas.

Here's the plan for this week:

Sunday, June 27
Lunch: Bbqing hot dogs
Supper: Picked up some burgers (really healthy day, I know!)

Monday, June 28
Tuscan Roasted Chicken, Roasted Potatoes and Veggies, Gravy, Mixed Veggies

Tuesday, June 29
Leftover Chicken and Potatoes

Wednesday, June 30
Spinach & Tomato Topped Salmon (on bbq), Wild Rice

Thursday, July 1 (Happy Canada Day!)
Quick Pizzas (on bbq) using Homemade Pita Bread, Caesar Salad

Friday, July 2
Crunchy BBQ Chicken Wraps (new), Veggies or Salad

Saturday, July 3
Sweet & Sour Meatballs, Rice, Veggies

Baking/Desserts to Make This Week:
Homemade Pita Bread (for pizzas and wraps)
Almond Rhubarb Pastry (recipe to come)

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