That’s $1,357.37 a month.
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Sunday: Beef and Mushroom Pie with Salad
Tuesday: Beans and Baked Potato
Wednesday: Broccoli Cheese Soup/Freezer Biscuits
Thursday: Pork Stirfry with Rice
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Veggie Pasta Alfredo
Staple Items
These items are ALWAYS in my pantry or fridge. This tip bears repeating… As soon as I see an item running low, it goes on my shopping list. If it comes up on my PC Points list or goes on sale, I buy it. We have a second fridge in the garage, so I almost always have eggs, mayo, soy sauce, etc. on hand. It may take you a while and some money to get this system going but once you do… your wallet will thank you 🙂
Things I need for this week’s menu that I already have in my kitchen (my staple items):
Wine (red and white)
Worcestershire Sauce
Chili garlic sauce
Bay leaves
Thyme
Rice (we like Basmati)
Eggs
Soy Sauce (Low Sodium!)
Ginger (I buy a big root & freeze it. I cut a piece off as I need it)
Brown Sugar
Red Pepper Flakes
Rice Vinegar
Margarine (butter is super expensive right now. When it goes on sale I will stock up!)
Salt (Kosher and Sea)
Pepper
Flour
Maple Syrup
Corn Starch
Noodles (I try to keep all types of noodles stocked)
Sesame Seeds
Chicken & Beef Broth (I usually have homemade broth frozen in freezer but by the end of winter I am out so I buy 4 cup tetra pacs when they are on sale)
1lb ground pork (got on sale from T-Bones for $5.45)
4 chicken breasts (got for $14.00 )
2 cans beans in tomato sauce
3 onions (I bought a bag)
4 russet potatoes (I bought a bag)
1 bunch green beans
1 jalapeno pepper
green onions
4 cups milk (I bought a 4L)
pizza mozzarella (I bought a brick)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese (you can save a bit of $ here and just stick with cheddar. The soup is dynamite either way.)
1 can pizza sauce
3 celery sticks
6 carrots
1 sheet puff pastry (I bought a pack of 2. You can freeze the extra sheet and use it while making Chicken “Pot Pie” 😁)
1 large broccoli crown
1 cup mushrooms
1 can corn
This week we had my MIL and FIL over for dinner. They are leaving for a cruise later this week so we wanted to send them off with a yummy home cooked meal. So this meal was a perfect Sunday dinner and good enough for guests (even your Mother In Law 😜). This meal was DELICIOUS. Like, possibly my favourite stew, EVER! (Sorry Mommies 😉) It is so rich and complex. The bacon adds a hint of smokiness, the mushrooms are caramelized pieces of yumminess and the beef melts in your mouth. We served it with a side of the Kale Salad I bought and this can be considered, a BIG time winner!!
1lb stewing beef, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3 carrots, halved lengthwise then cut into 1” chunks
1/3 cup flour
6 oz red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 strips bacon, diced
1 package cremini mushrooms, cut in half
1 sheet puff pastry
1 egg yolk
Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
- Turn stove down to medium low. Add rest of oil. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add finely chopped carrots and celery, cook for 6 minutes or until softened. Add carrot chunks and cook for 2 minutes.
Add flour and stir through.
Add wine, beef stock, and stir to dissolve the flour. Add thyme, bay leaves, and cooked beef. Turn heat up slightly, mix, bring to simmer, then cover. Adjust heat so it is simmering gently and cook for 1 hr 45 minutes or until beef is tender.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over high heat until golden.
- Remove and reserve bacon drippings in pan. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until golden all over. Return bacon into skillet, toss to coat mushrooms, then stir through stew.
Simmer stew, uncovered, for 15 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Then remove from stove and cool.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Pour stew into a pie dish, even out surface.
Top with puff pastry, brush with egg yolk. Cut a few slits in the surface then bake for 30 – 35 minutes until deep golden and the filling is piping hot in the middle.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving!
Chicken Ramen
Adapted from The Comfort of Cooking
3 packages ramen noodles, throw out the seasoning packages
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 chicken breasts, chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 head fresh broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
green onions & sesame seeds
In a medium pot, boil 6 cups water. Stir in ramen noodles. Cook noodles for 2 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water; set aside.
Drizzle oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chopped chicken and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 6-7 minutes, until chicken is browned.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water; set aside.
In a small pot, whisk water, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, & garlic together. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Return skillet to medium-high heat, pour sauce over noodle mixture and mix to coat everything evenly. Heat mixture, until noodles are tender, 1-2 minutes.
Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
I dated a guy in high school that was born in England. One of my favourite dishes that he introduced me to was Cheese Beano. Or at least that’s what we called it 😆. It was a can of bean on a piece of toasted with a handful of melted cheese on top. Yummmmmm. Sometimes I will make it just like that but my Kids are picky about their beans. They ONLY like Grandma’s Bestest Baked Beans and that’s exactly what we call them every time we make them
😆. This is a healthy and delicious twist on Beans and Toast or as I used to say, Cheese Beano!Baked Beans & Potato
My Mother In Law’s Bestest Baked Beans
2 cans beans in tomato sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Cook bacon till crisp; set aside, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings.
Cook onions in the drippings till tender; add with bacon and the onion to the beans.
Put beans into a casserole dish. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard; mix well.
Poke potatoes all over with a fork. Place potatoes in a bowl and Rub olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle all sides generously with salt. Place on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven until very tender, about 45-60 minutes. Put beans in the oven with potatoes and bake covered for 45-60 minutes.
Cut potatoes lengthwise, slit down centre of each potato (do not cut all the way through); squeeze sides to open. Slightly mash cooked potato and squeeze toward opening. Top with Baked Beans and sprinkle with cheese!
Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled & diced small
3/4 bag frozen broccoli
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes and onion. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chopped broccoli. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
In a separate medium saucepan, saute the bacon until golden and crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the grease and wipe out the saucepan.
In the same saucepan you cooked the bacon in, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture is bubbling and is slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the cheese one handful at a time, making sure it is melted before adding the next handful. Stir in the salt, pepper and mustard.
Slowly stir the cheese sauce into the hot broth and vegetables, whisking to combine well. Stir in the reserved bacon and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 bunch green beans
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
hot cooked RICE
In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, cornstarch and garlic cloves. Add the pork and toss to blend.
Heat the sesame oil in a heavy large wok or deep skillet over high heat. Add green beans, jalapeno, and ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook until beans are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus mixture to a plate.
Add the pork mixture to the pan and cook until browned, using wooden spoon to break up pork into small pieces, about 3-4 minutes.
Return green bean mixture to pan. Stir in rice vinegar. Stir-fry until pork is cooked through, another 3-5 minutes.
Sprinkle pizza stone with cornmeal and put shell/dough on pizza stone. Sauce it up, sprinkle with the shredded cheese and then cover with toppings ie. ham and bacon. Place in oven for about 25 minutes or until nice and bubbly.
The week is almost over! You are almost there! Celebrate by clearing out your refrigerator 😂. My Kids love Alfredo sauce and I can get away with a lot because they love it so much. This is the perfect way to use up any veggies you have hanging around in your fridge! Have some leftover green beans from our Pork Stirfry? Throw them in! Broccoli? OK! 1 carrot left? No problem! 3 pieces of bacon left? Perfect! Chop it all up and throw it in a pot with some yummy sauce, seasoning and pasta and you have a delicious meal without wasting 1 single item from your weekly shopping list!
Leftovers Alfredo
1 bag pasta
4 strips bacon (I had a few more strips so I cooked it all)
1 jar Classico Alfredo sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 bell pepper, diced
Salt & pepper to taste
Cook pasta in boiling water as per package directions.
Cook bacon in a large skillet till golden brown and crispy. Remove from the skillet and drain most of the bacon fat keeping 1 tablespoon in the pan.
In the pan with the bacon fat, sauté garlic, mushrooms and onions until fragrant. Add peppers and any other veggie from your fridge and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the peppers just begin to soften. Add bacon and sauce and cook until warm.
Toss the pasta in the sauce.
