$200/MONTH MENU PLAN FOR OUR FAMILY OF 5 (POST #5)

 

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This is the menu where you see that we eat a lot of leftovers!  🙂  The first week was rather busy and I knew that I had kept things pretty simple meal wise, but it wasn’t until I was typing this up that I realized just how simple it was.  We do love leftovers though, and cooking once, eating twice really is a great way to save time!  Although, I am glad every week isn’t quite like the first one shown here.

One of the things that I do in an attempt to keep my cooking from getting too boring is to try at least one new recipe a week.  It’ so easy to get in a rut where I just make the same recipes over and over and lose inspiration for cooking.  Trying a new recipe here and there doesn’t totally solve the problem, but it really does help!  And I find some amazing new favorites in the process!

If you are new to these menu plans of mine, it’s probably helpful to know a couple of things first:

• Our family of five consists of two adults with fairly big appetites, a 6-year-old boy, a 3 ½ year-old girl and a 15 month-old girl.

• I buy lots of fruits and veggies in bulk from local farmers/orchards in the summer and then freeze or can them. This is not only much cheaper it is also healthier too. But that is why if you look at my Weekly Spending Summaries you won’t always see lots of produce.

• I have a stockpile- my cupboards are full from previous shopping and here’s why. When I can get pasta for free with coupons, I buy as much as I have coupons for.  If I’m able to get flour for $0.50/bag like I did last fall, I’ll buy half a dozen and put them in the freezer to use as needed.  I do this as much as my budget allows, on as many items as I can and as a result save lots of money. Then when I go to plan menus, I simply plan our meals around what I already have in my cupboards and freezer, as much as possible.  Obviously I still might have to buy a few things at regular price here and there, but by stocking up when the price is at rock bottom I save a lot.

• I cook almost totally from scratch.  That means when I make a cake, I rarely use a cake mix.  I make my own bread totally from scratch.  I rarely use pre-packaged sauces.  I make my own cream soups and pie crusts.  Making your own food is typically less expensive and healthier too.

• We rarely snack.  By eating “heavy” food like granola at breakfast we don’t get hungry until lunch time.  And the same goes for the afternoon.  Our lunches are big enough that we usually are fine until dinner time.  When we do need a snack, I try to keep it mostly healthy by offering fruit, nuts or maybe No Bake Energy Bites.  We don’t always do it perfectly though, and sometimes end up having chips or cookies instead.

• Our breakfasts consist of Easy Homemade Granola or Baked Oatmeal, the occasional bought cereal that I was able to get for $0.50/box and sometimes some fruit too.  I know that might seem awfully boring to some of you, but we actually all really enjoy it and prefer it over other breakfast food.  I also have a homemade iced coffee, homemade frappe or some other fun beverage every morning.  It’s just one of the little things that I do to add a bit sunshine to my days!

Below you will find our lunches and dinners.  (If we ate something other than our usual breakfast, I’ll note that too.)  Monday through Friday, 3 days a week the lunches are just for the two youngest and I, the other 2 days my husband joins us.  Our son gets lunch at school and 3 days a week my husband takes a packed lunch with him to work.  His lunch typically consists of sandwiches, fruit, homemade yogurt and sometimes random leftovers too.

WEEK 1
Sunday

• Ham Loaf (comes pre-made- I just make a glaze for it); Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes & Carrots tossed in browned butter and seasoned bread crumbs; Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Vanilla Pudding with Graham Cracker Crumb Topping
• Toasted Tuna Salad and Cheese Sandwiches; Potato Chips; Easy Fruit Smoothies (strawberry)

Monday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
• Scalloped Chicken (chicken and rice tossed in a cheesy sauce and baked); Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Shortcake & Crushed Strawberries (I preserved)

Tuesday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Crushed Strawberries (I preserved)
• Leftover Ham Loaf; Leftover Sweet Potato/Potato/Carrot Mixture; Leftover Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Wednesday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
• Leftover Scalloped Chicken; Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Cake with Caramel Icing topped with Crushed Strawberries (I preserved)
  – I had made a cake several weeks ago and froze several of the pieces, which made for a handy dessert tonight!

Thursday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
• Hot Dogs; Lettuce Salad ; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Covered Pretzels
  – I had the last minute inspiration to go on a picnic!  It ended up not being the best thing ever because it got really cool and windy just as we left and so we were all kind of chilly.  I also forgot the salad dressing so we had to wait to eat the salad until we got back home.  The children were good sports though and still thought it was fun.

Friday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
• Crustless Bacon & Egg Quiche; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Turkey Hill All-Natural Ice Cream

Saturday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Bananas; Home Canned Peaches
  – It was just the two little girls and I.
• Enjoyed dinner with friends- I took a big lettuce salad.

WEEK TWO 
Sunday

• Ate at my in-law’s
• Toasted Tuna Salad and Cheese Sandwiches; Potato Chips; Easy Fruit Smoothie (blueberry/peach)

Monday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Frozen Blueberries
• One Pot Chili Mac & Cheese; Lettuce Salad; French Bread; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
  – This Chili Mac & Cheese was really yummy and we all enjoyed it!   I did cut back on the spices a bit since my gang isn’t too crazy about really spicy food.  I will definitely be making it again!

Tuesday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
• Baked Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes; Cheese; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)

Wednesday

• Eggs in a Nest (eggs fried in a slice of toast); Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
• Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)

Thursday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Grapes; Frozen Peaches (I preserved)
• One Pan Chicken & Rice; Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce; Blonde Brownies
  (I actually made the brownies to sell at a fundraiser but kept a few out for our dinner.)

Friday

• Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Grapes
• The Mom’s Group that I attend had a fundraiser supper and auction, so we ate there.
  – I donated a bunch of food including the Blonde Brownies mentioned above.

Saturday

• With my family for the weekend!  Took 3 heads of lettuce, 2 gallons of milk, homemade yogurt and a bunch of frozen fruit.