This Week's Menu 1/10

This is what I received in my half of the Bountiful Baskets this week.

It is still the cheapest way for me to buy produce, especially this time of the year! I am still loving B.B.! The produce is always fresh and lasts well over a week, or longer. The menu this week is kind of boring. It's a super busy week for our household, so I am opting for easy meals. I had a spare few hours Saturday afternoon (that hardly EVER happens), so I baked a batch of rolls, two loaves of Cinna Burst Bread, and Apple Cake to save myself some time during the first part of the week (The cake looks burned in this picture. I promise it's not. It's spice cake of sorts, so it is just dark on top. It really is tasty.....and sinfully moist!)

I am also relying on several  items I stashed in the freezer over the Holidays to make dinner prep easier.

Sunday

Ham and Bean Chowder (thank you One Crazy Cookie)

Home made rolls

Apple cake (Delicious recipe that used up several mushy apples. I'll be sharing it soon!)

Ice Cream

Monday

French Toast (using Homemade Cinna Burst Bread)

Orange Slices

Milk

Tuesday

French Dip (thawing out leftover sliced roast in the crock pot)

Au Jus

Home made rolls

Steamed Brussell Sprouts
Frozen Corn (for the Brussell Sprout haters)

Wednesday

Shrimp Lo Mein

Stir Fried Veggies (using yellow squash and broccoli from B.B.)

Cubed Pineapple

Thursday

Chili  Topped Baked Potatoes (Last time I made chili I doubled the batch and stashed it in the freezer.)

Green Salad

Pudding Salad (this is bumped from last week's menu)

Friday

Pizza Night 

Green Salad

Cinnamon Sticks (another recipe from One Crazy Cookie)

Saturday 

Leftovers

Finally, I just wanted to share the fabulous deal I got at Big Lots this week. I decided to make a quick trip to Big Lots to buy some facial cleanser (a.k.a. Noxema) and mascara for Child #2. When I walked in the front door of the store their was a cart full of discounted grocery items. They had these jars of Spaghetti sauce marked down to $.50 a jar (regularly $1.90). Their sell by date is for January 13, 2011, but jarred spaghetti sauce will still be good for at least another 9 months. A few of the troops aren't huge fans of Chunky Style Spaghetti Sauce, but a quick whirl in the food processor will take care of that!

 

Here's a handy tip if one jar of Spaghetti Sauce isn't quite enough to feed all the hungry mouths at your house (Mine seem to eat more and MORE  all the time!).  Stir in one (8 oz) can of tomato sauce, 1/2 can of water, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, and a teaspoon of Italian Seasoning into the sauce. It should give you and extra serving or two and no one will be the wiser. 

Handy tip #2. If you have a tiny amount of ketchup left in the bottle, add a tablespoon or two of water into the bottle. Screw the lid back on tight and shake the bottle to mix the ketchup and water. Pour into spaghetti sauce, soup, chili, or sloppy joes. Waste Not Want Not!