The first big meal I made used recipes from my favourite magazine, Martha Stewart Living. It was Christmas dinner 2004. My parents were on a cruise and my Sis, Bro and I wanted to surprise them with a home cooked dinner! My Sis and I made and remade 😂 a 3 tier raspberry pavlova!! We kept our Nana up on the phone ALL night helping us make perfect meringues. Oh man did she laugh at us!
Up until that point I knew how to make Kraft Dinner, open faced cheese sandwiches (a cheese slice on a piece of bread in the toaster oven, if I was fancy I added bologna and a slice of tomato 😒), boiled perogies and pre-made made chicken cordon blue.
Seriously. I did not cook.
Right after that life changing cruise, my parents sold everything and bought a business here in Penticton. Within 5 months Dad had moved and Mom followed very soon after. Sis and I found the cutest turn of the century house in the Wolseley area of Winnipeg. I was working full time at a property management company while going to school and Sis was also in University and worked evenings so we had to learn to cook! To be honest, Ninja worked at Boston Pizza and Sis worked at Kelsey’s so we had a LOT of late night takeout 😆.
It really wasn’t until right before we got pregnant with HBear that I picked up a cookbook and thought about what I was putting into my body. The first cookbook that really inspired me was Rachael Ray’s 365: No Repeats. I sticky noted the crap out of that book! There was a bourbon pork chop recipe with sliced peppers that became my signature dish! 😂
Once I had HBear, and we moved to Penticton, cooking became some thing I loved to do. It was a way to show my family how much I love them and cooking for my new husband, my baby, and my Mom and Dad was actually… Relaxing in the midst of the chaos of all of us living together for the first time. It also challenged me! As someone that had been working since they were 13 years old, becoming a stay at home Mom was very new to me. Healthy menu planning and staying on budget gave my mind some thing to do and when I did it well, I was proud of myself. That was 14 years ago and I am still loving the thrill of trying not to repeat dinners, showing my family my love by feeding them healthy meals, menu planning, and budgeting!
According to Canada’s Food Price Report for 2023, a family of 4 will spend $16,288.41 on food this year.
That’s 313.24 a week.
Let’s feed me, my husband, our 14 year old and our 10 year old for HALF that and make a week long menu plan for under $156.62!
Sunday:
Easy Shepherd’s PieThursday: Tex-Mex Migas
Saturday: Creamy Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Meat
I stock up on meat when it’s on sale so I didn’t need to buy my meat for this week. However, I am now out of chicken and Italian sausage so I will have to keep that in mind while menu planning for next week and try to catch the next sale of these items. This is the meat we need at the prices of each.
1 pound Italian sausage $5.99
4 chicken breasts $14.00
1 1/2 lb pork shoulder/butt/loin:
1lb ground beef (not extra lean so I’ll make sure I drain!)
Staple Items
These items are ALWAYS in my pantry or fridge. This tip bares repeating… As soon as I see an item running out it goes on the my shopping list. If they come up on my PC Points list or go on sale, I buy them. We have a second fridge in the garage, so I 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) are listed in RED below.
Shopping List
Worcestershire Sauce
Margarine & Butter
Honey
Cumin
Oregano
Ketchup
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Chili Powder
Rice (we like Basmati)
Soy Sauce (Low Sodium!)
Ginger (I buy a big root & freeze it. I cut a piece off as I need it)
Red Pepper Flakes
Vegetable & Beef Broth (I buy 4 cup tetra pacs when they are on sale)
Noodles (I try to keep all noodles stocked)
Flour
Dijon Mustard
Parmesan Cheese
Red pepper flakes
Italian Seasoning
Water
Garlic powder
Rice Vinegar
Sugar
Mayo
Lime juice
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Orange juice (We keep a 4L of OJ in the back fridge, you can also just buy 1 orange and squeeze it for the recipe this week)
1 cup Orzo Pasta
1 cup Green Lentils
1 can Black Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Crushed Tomatoes
1 can Corn
3 Onions (Leftover from my last menu plan)
2 lbs Potatoes (I had 1 lb so I ended up having to buy 1lb more)
4 Carrots (Leftover from my last menu plan)
2 tetra packs vegetable stock (I have some but will buy to restock)
2 cups broccoli
2 heads garlic
1 bunch green onion
500ml heavy cream
1 bag baby spinach
2 white onions
1 jalapeño
1 brick marble cheese
1 bunch cilantro
3 celery sticks
1 cucumber
4 small baguettes
4 bell peppers (I bought a bag)
I also bought some lunch items/snacks/stock up: milk, coffee beans, perogies, large ziplock bags, grape tomatoes, apple juice, pretzels, elbow macaroni, doughnut mix, 2 boxes of granola bars, bag of shredded Mexican cheese, 24 pack cans of cranberry gingerale, bananas, cantaloupe, strawberries and 3 loaves of whole wheat bread.
Sunday:
Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Adapted from First Home Love Life
1 pound potatoes, peeled
1 large egg
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lb ground beef
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup beef stock
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
4 cups frozen veggie mix (peas, corn, green beans, carrots)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
In a large pot, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes.
Heat a large deep oven proof skillet over medium high heat. Add beef to hot pan and season with salt and pepper. Brown and break apart meat for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and onions. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
In a small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together until it thickens, about 1 minute. Whisk in broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire slowly, working out all the lumps.
Add frozen veggies into the skillet with the meat.
Add sauce to the skillet and mix everything together well.
Spread the meat mixture out evenly (If you don’t have a big enough oven proof skillet, no problem, just layer your shepherd’s pie in a casserole dish). Spread potatoes evenly all over the top, sprinkle cheese on top of potatoes and garnish with paprika.
Put the shepherds pie under the broiler until the cheese has melted and bubbled, and potatoes have browned a bit.
This past Christmas we visited a place that offered us hotdogs with pickled vegetables. Ninja and I devoured them! I knew I loved pickles and I also knew that I love pickled beets and pickled asparagus and even pickled green beans in my Caesars.😂 but I’m not a huge fan of the grocery store pickled vegetables and buying homemade at the market can get crazy expensive! So I did it myself! Pickling vegetables sounds like something I would never dream of doing! It sounds like a lot of work, but it isn’t! It was actually so easy that I’ve been pickling vegetables to add to my sandwiches at lunch! It may be my new favourite thing lol actually, this sandwich is my new favourite thing! These pork bánh mì sandwiches were absolutely delicious! And crazy easy. Crockpot for the win!
Adapted from Delightful Plate
1 1/2 lb pork shoulder/butt/loin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons five-spice powder (I used all spice because that’s what I had on hand lol)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup water
4 oz cucumber
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4-1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon honey
salt & pepper
4 banh mi, lightly toasted (baguettes)
cilantro
Combine salt, five-spice powder, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper in a bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork.
Transfer the pork to the slow cooker, add the water. Cook on low for about 8 hours or 6 hours on high.
Remove all seeds and julienne the carrots and cucumber. In a bowl, combine rice vinegar, water, sugar and a pinch of salt, and then add the veggies. Cover, refrigerate to pickle for 2-24 hours.
In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, lime juice and honey. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tuesday:
1 cup dry green lentils
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
1 can corn, drained
1 cup salsa
2 tablespoons chili powder
1.5 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 large russet potatoes, washed but not peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon seasoning salt
1 cup tortilla chips, crushed
1/4 cup cheese, grated
Pick over lentils, removing any broken pieces/rocks. Rinse in a sieve.
Add onion, bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, broth, salsa, spices, and lentils to your crockpot. Mix it all up and secure the lid.
Set slow cooker to HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 9-10 hours, until lentils are cooked through and tender.
Slice the potatoes into evenly sized potatoes stick for fries.
Place the potato sticks into a bowl of cold water and completely cover with water. Soak in the water for 30 minutes.
Preheat your air fryer to 375°.
Drain the potato sticks and lay out on paper towels. Blot them dry with more paper towels.
Place in a medium sized bowl and toss with olive oil and seasoning salt.
Top fries with chili, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, salsa, pico and/or grated cheese.
It’s still soup season! I am ready for sunshine and salads lol but until then, soup it is! I was wanting a soup like Italian Wedding Soup, but I found this one instead. Not quite exactly what I was looking for, but a happy alternative! This was delicious! Wednesdays are hard for us because the Kids have activities at different times, and it is the one day of the week that we cannot sit at the table together, but soup goes into the Kid’s thermoses so well and they both devoured this dinner between dance classes!
Italian Orzo Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Gimmie Some Oven
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups vegetable stock
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 large handfuls baby spinach
salt and black pepper
Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add stock, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer.
Stir in the spinach and season with salt and pepper.
Adapted from Gimmie Some Oven
10 large eggs
1/4 heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large handfuls tortilla chips, roughly crumbled
2/3 cup salsa
2/3 cup shredded cheese, plus extra for serving
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cumin, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 additional minutes, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the egg mixture, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the eggs are completely scrambled. Stir in the tortilla chips, salsa and cheese. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Serve warm, optional garnish with cheese, sour cream, & salsa.
Friday:
Half Baked Harvest for the win again! This lady knows her flavours! We really loved this dinner. The sauce was so good SBean even ate her rice! Once we mixed it all together 😂! She hates rice. I try to cushion the rice blow by making her favourite, broccoli, but there is usually still a drop down drag out fight lol thank goodness for this delicious glazed chicken because she ate every bite!
Adapted from Half Baked Harvest
4 chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch cubes
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
chili flakes
Rice
green onions, sliced
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Spray a baking dish with oil and arrange the chicken in the prepared dish.
Turn the oven to broil and broil 3-5 minutes, until the chicken caramelizes on top.
Saturday:
Creamy Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Adapted from Salt and Lavender
1 package pasta
1 pound Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (I did 1/2 red, 1/2 yellow & added mushrooms)
1 tablespoon margarine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups (packed) baby spinach
salt & pepper
parmesan cheese, grated
Boil a large, salted pot of pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
Meanwhile, brown the sausage meat in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as you go along (about 8-10 minutes). Once it’s cooked through, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate.
Add the oil to the skillet, along with the onion, mushrooms and chopped bell peppers. Cook until the onion is lightly browned and the peppers have softened up (about 7-8 minutes).
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the margarine and garlic to the skillet, and once the margarine melts, sprinkle in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring well.
Stir in the cream and Dijon mustard, make sure there’s no lumps from the flour. Cook for a minute or so.
Add the cooked sausage and spinach to the skillet and stir.
Before draining the pasta, add in a splash (a couple tablespoons or so) of the hot pasta water to the skillet, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.
Toss until the spinach has wilted and the pasta is coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with salt & pepper as needed and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #319: Pass the Cream Rinse HERE! This week, we discuss: banks, roast dinner, bad take out, British words, Mavis, Still Standing, sugar drinks, & the Last of Us.
This week HBear had her very first job interview! So proud of her 💛. The job is for a Book Shelf Ninja at our local library! I got more bloodwork done for my upcoming infusion, indulged SBean and went swimsuit shopping for my new body that is almost 30lbs heavier than last year 😒, and went to HBear’s parent/teacher interviews! SBean twirled into the weekend and got her very own library card! I did yoga and my pilates challenge as mush as I could and rested while watching The Players. We ended the week cheering on SPea at her swim jamboree and celebrating her great races with pizza and wings at Papa’s!
