So, this week I increased the budget a little bit. I've been trying to be better about the breakfast we eat. The kids and I are notoriously bad about eating a good breakfast. I'm sure they follow after me, but neither seems to have a big appetite in the morning (though Abel is starting to change). I bought 3 months of the
eMeals breakfast meal plan and we are trying a few of the recipes this week. I didn't go crazy because otherwise that would affect our budget even more. I'll share the breakfast recipes at the end of the post.
We actually make this a vegetarian meal and cut out the chicken. There are enough flavors that it's still a really good dish! I already had onion, and spices.
Tuesday: Pasta in a Bag. Total for meal: $0
This just keeps appearing every week on the meal plan haha. We're actually going to use it this week! Clarence and I have a date night tonight, so I'll make this for the kids to eat.
Wednesday: Rotisserie Chicken,
Roasted Sweet Potato/Brussel Sprouts. Total for meal: $9.19
We are having a couple friends over for dinner tonight, so I grabbed a rotisserie chicken to cook in the crock pot. This is more cost-effective when there is a better sale and you can use leftover chicken for other meals, but not bad to feed four adults and two kids! Also, we tried this side dish when my parents were here a few weeks ago and it was so good; you've got to try it!
Thursday:
Meatball Bombs and Frozen Veggies. Total for meal: $5.39
I bought a pound of grass fed ground beef and will use half to make meatballs for this dish, and half for Sunday night. We were going to eat broccoli with it, but Aldi was out so we bought a pack of asian blend veggies instead.
Friday: Church event. Free!
I am actually headed out of town for the weekend to attend a technology-free weekend at a lake nearby, headed by A-GAP. I'm looking forward to a free weekend to disconnect and spend some time with God and other women! Clarence will be with the kids for the weekend and our church is hosting a hangout at a local park, so he's taking them to that.
Saturday Lunch: Out
Not my problem, I'm gone. Muahahahaha! Actually, Clarence offered to just figure out lunch with them.
Saturday Dinner: Sausage, Spinach, and Sweet Potato Skillet. Total for meal: $6.88
I actually just noticed the chicken sausage was apparently mislabeled, so I might take that back and get a less expensive sausage for them.
This meal was on the breakfast emeals plan, but sounded good and perfectly suitable for a dinner.
12 oz pkg fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
10 oz pkg frozen diced sweet potatoes (we will use real and cook them first for longer)
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 oz pkg baby spinach
Cook sausage in 1/2 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4-6 minutes or until browned. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Add 1/2 Tbsp oil to skillet. Add potatoes, onion, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook 8-10 minutes or until tender. Stir in sausage and spinach. Cook 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and sausage is thoroughly heated.
Sunday Lunch: Leftovers
Sunday Dinner:
Beef Stroganoff and Green Beans. Total for meal: $6.28
Total at the store this week: $74.13
Also bought, Eggs, tub of yogurt, pack of diapers, 4 individual yogurts, honey, riced cauliflower, sliced almonds, two boxes of fruit pouches, apple juice, 2 avocados, 2 kefirs, raisins, ranch dressing, milk, canned fruit cocktail (a Haven request...), chicken bouillon, bag of peaches, bread, lunch meat, blueberries
Here are the breakfast recipes we're trying this week:
Blueberry-Peach-Oat Smoothies
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 peaches, cored and chopped
1 (4.4-oz) pkg blueberries
1 1/4 cups fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar (omitting this)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup crushed ice (or use cubed)
Combine oats and milk in a bowl; let stand 10
minutes. Process oat mixture, peaches,
blueberries, yogurt, sugar, and cinnamon in a
blender until smooth, scraping sides as needed.
Add ice; cover and pulse until smooth. Pour into
4 glasses.
Fresh Blueberry Parfaits with Coconut-Almond Granola
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3 Tbsp unsweetened flaked coconut
2 cups fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt
1 (4.4-oz) pkg blueberries
Preheat oven to 325°F. Whisk together
syrup, oil, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a large
bowl. Stir in almonds and oats. Spread in a
single layer on a parchment paper-lined rimmed
baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly
browned, stirring after 10 minutes. Add coconut
to pan; bake 5 minutes. Cool. Layer . cup
yogurt, 2 Tbsp blueberries, and 2 Tbsp granola
in each of 4 glasses. Repeat layers once.
Note: You can make the granola ahead, cool
completely, and store in an airtight container up
to 5 days.
Broiled Peaches with Walnut Crumble and Honey-Vanilla Yogurt
1 1/2 cups fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnut halves
1 Tbsp butter, divided
⅛ tsp kosher salt
4 peaches, halved and pitted
Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together yogurt,
honey, and vanilla in a bowl. Process nuts, 2
tsp butter, and salt in a food processor until
finely chopped. Spread on a rimmed baking
sheet. Bake 6 to 10 minutes or until toasted.
Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature
to broil. Place peaches, cut sides down, on a
broiler rack or baking sheet greased with 1 tsp
butter. Broil 3 minutes; flip and broil 1 minute.
Sprinkle peaches with toasted nuts. Serve with
Honey-Vanilla Yogurt.
Note: Make walnut crumble ahead of time;
store in an airtight container until ready to
serve.
