Rowyn spent time at the beach, at the curling rink, expressing a very distinct style, changing hair colours and hairstyles. Another trip to Vancouver with Dad for Vibe dance competition, lots of walks with Oliver, dinner in a bubble, the spring formal, Peachfest, and lots of golfing!
Rowyn won grade 9 percussion player of the year, performed at The Dream Cafe, had art presented at The Art Gallery, went peach picking, go karting, to the movies and the Ribfest. Plus rode the KVR from Arawanna, started drum lessons, spent a TON of time with Besty Sophie, volunteered for the School Halloween Haunted House, started learning the clarinet for concert band, and worked for Sparkles. Rowyn saw The Beaches, hung out with cousins, went to Penticon, completed grade 9 & entered grade 10.
Happy Birthday my HoneyBear! I am incredibly proud of you and love you more than you will ever know 💛 .
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Ep..357: Where’s the Tape? HERE! This week, we get together to discuss: email signatures, bad attachments, advent calendars, tongue kissing, toots, Hallmark movies, Corey Perry, putting up the tree, & the Philly Specials.
MENU (I didn’t realize my meals this week were all the same colour. SPea would love this menu, she loves beige dinners 😂. I apologize for the monochromatic menu collage!)
Sunday: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Monday: Traditional Cottage Pie
Tuesday: Teriyaki Pork Meatballs with Rice & Corn
Wednesday: Perogie, Sausage & Veg Sheet Pan Dinner
Thursday: Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Bread
Friday: Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard
Saturday: Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
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 below and in red.
Shopping List
16-20 frozen perogies
7 carrots
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup red wine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
9 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
2 bell peppers
1 head + 11 cloves garlic
1 cup wild rice
12 tablespoons butter
Meat
I stock up on meat when it’s on sale so I only needed to buy the steak for this week. This is the meat we need at the prices of each.
1 lb ground beef (not extra lean so I’ll make sure I drain!)
$14.27 for 4lbs = $3.56/lb
This week I need 1lb of ground beef = $3.56
3 chicken breasts. I bought a package of chicken for $23.52. It got broken up into 3 meals. Each meal = $7.84
Meat $16.39
Lunches & Stock Up $91.08
TOTAL= $176.25
SUNDAY:
I was so jealous of all my American friends enjoying their turkeys on American Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, I began craving the whole shebang… the turkey, the taters, the veggies and the stuffing. YUMMMMY. However, I’m not going to roast a whole turkey on just any old Sunday in December! Actually, I would 😂 but not this time. This time we tried this super easy chicken and wild rice casserole that is topped with butter soaked bread and baked. This dish doesn’t take much work but it does take a while to bake so makes sure you have the afternoon to put it into the oven while you do something fun and festive with the family!
Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
1 onion, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup wild rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
8 tablespoons butter (divided)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
3 cups dry day old bread, cubed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the onion, carrots, and celery in a large baking dish. Add the wild rice and the broth. Cover tightly with foil or lid. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.
When the rice is done, remove foil, add raw chicken and creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Arrange the bread in a layer on top.
Turn the heat up to 450 and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and the bread cubes are golden brown. Top with salt, pepper, and parsley.
Traditional Cottage Pie
Adapted from Don’t Go Bacon My Heart
2 cups beef stock
1 small glass of red wine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons beef bouillon
1 white onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled & finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon oil
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups cheese, grated
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
Add oil to a pan and sauté onions, garlic, carrot and mushrooms over medium heat until they begin to soften and brown. Add beef, break it up with wooden spoon and continue to cook until brown all the way through. Pour in wine and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in beef stock, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and salt & pepper, to taste. Simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Boil salted water in a pot and add potatoes. Cook for 15 mins or until soft enough to comfortably slice. Drain (don’t rinse) and place back in the pot. Mash or RICE and then add butter, half the cheese, nutmeg and generous helpings of salt & pepper until a smooth texture. Add milk until desired texture. Set aside.
In a baking dish, pour in beef (remove bay leaf), top the beef with mashed potatoes and top with a layer of cheese. Place in the oven for around 30 mins or until golden and crispy on top.
Leave to sit for a few minutes to retain shape and then serve.
Pork can be bland, but this sauce is anything but! These teriyaki meatballs made with ground pork and served with rice and corn was super easy to make and can be made in 30 minutes. These meatballs are tender and moist, not dry at all! This was a delicious midweek meal.
Teriyaki Pork Meatballs with Rice and Corn
Adapted from The Almond Eater
1 lb. ground pork
2 tablespoon onion, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped and separated
6 garlic cloves, minced and separated
1 egg
6 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
½ cup panko
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Make Rice.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Add ground pork, minced onion, 1 chopped green onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, egg and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to a large bowl and use a spoon or your hands to mix everything together (Don’t over mix!). Use your hands to form into meatballs.
Pan fry the meatballs for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until they’re golden on all sides. Then, place the entire skillet into the oven and bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re cooked through.
While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce: whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, syrup, vinegar, ginger, and cornstarch together and set aside.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the oven and place the skillet on the stove over low heat. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, then pour in the sauce and stir so that the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
Garnish meatballs with green onions.
WEDNESDAY:
Perogie, Sausage and Pepper Sheet Pan Dinner
Adapted from Olive and Mango
1 ring Kielbasa sliced into ¼ inch coins
24 frozen perogies
1 red onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Tabasco
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease 1 very large baking sheet.
Place perogies on the sheet pan. Arrange kielbasa slices on the sheet pan. Drizzle everything with a touch more olive oil.
Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Bread
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets or 1 bag of frozen cauliflower
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 head garlic
1 onion, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup cheddar cheese, shredded
garnish: chopped green onions
Fresh bread
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Add cauliflower florets to the pan, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper; toss to combine.
While the cauliflower is cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add in diced onion and saute for 5-8 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the onion, roasted cauliflower, squeeze out all the roasted garlic (discard the shells), broth, salt and pepper into a blender or a pot and blend with immersion blender until smooth. Then place the pot over medium heat.
Stir in the heavy cream and bring soup to a light simmer, then stir in the cheddar cheese. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Garnish with green onion. Serve with fresh bread of choice.
I LOVE Field & Gold grainy mustard. Well, I LOVE all their mustards but the grainy mustard is especially delicious! I have gifted these bad boys on MANY occasions, they are so good! This pasta dish is simple, so using a good quality mustard, fresh basil and a good dry wine will make this easy and delicious dish, even better! This was a winner!
Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard
Adapted from Food & Wine
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced basil
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente and then drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add the cream, mustard, and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil, and toss to coat.
You know how much we love breakfast for dinner and I found a new one that we loved! We love egg McMuffins but we aren’t the biggest English muffin fans but croissants I can totally get behind. This is a filling and crazy easy meal that we all loved!
Baked Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
Adapted from Creme De La Crumb
16-18 slices cheese
6-12 slices deli ham
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup cheese, shredded
Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.
In a microwaveable bowl whisk together 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, a few drops of Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes. Repeat until all your eggs are cooked.
2 thoughts on “December: A Week Long Meal Plan on a Budget”
Your meal plan sounds fantastic! I can virtually taste these meals. Your daughter looks so pretty in her red dress. I love your photos.
Visiting today from SSPS 290 #72
I am suitably impressed with your awesome meal planning.
Thank you for sharing your links with us at #290 SSPS Linky. See you again next week