This week, as always, our menu is affected by the circumstances in our lives as well as what we currently have in our fridge. I do not go shopping for menu items; I buy what is cheap and plan my menus around that. This week our menu reflects the status of "my fridge is in great need of being filled" and the fact that we've all come down with a bug (hence no post yesterday- I was too sick to write anything).
Sunday:
Breakfast- Spanish rice, watermelon
Lunch- Spanish rice and seitan
Supper- Chicken "meat"ball vegetable soup
Monday:
Breakfast- Rice and carrot omelets
Lunch- Chicken "meat"ball vegetable soup
Supper- Chicken "meat"ball vegetable soup
Tuesday:
Breakfast- Oatmeal carrot muffins and yogurt
Lunch- Rice with cheesey tuna veggie sauce
Supper- French fries with cheesy tuna sauce and veggie spears
Wednesday:
Breakfast- Toasted oatmeal with milk and fruit
Lunch- French fries and stretched tuna and veggie spears
Supper- Seitan shishkebabs, potato salad, and sauerkraut
Thursday:
Breakfast- Banana shakes
Lunch- Potato salad, sauerkraut, and leftover shishkebab
Supper- Szechuan garlic eggplant with ground chicken over rice
Friday:
Breakfast- Homemade granola chunk with yogurt
Lunch- Rice with refried beans and tomato salad
Supper- Pitas, Chilled beet soup, sauerkraut, spicy tomato salad, chili, refried beans, ground chicken, tacos
Saturday:
Breakfast- Lazy oat cereal
Lunch- Pitas, Chilled beet soup, sauerkraut, spicy tomato salad, chili, refried beans, ground chicken, tacos
Supper- Beet salad, eggplant salad, sauerkraut, spicy tomato salad
Our recipe this week was greatly affected by our stomach bug and by the fact that Tuesday is my bi-weekly shopping day and my fridge is near empty. Fortunately I have the perfect tummy bug remedies in my stockpile- plenty of rice, carrots, and chicken. I used my stockpile and the few veggies on their last legs in my fridge combined with the knowledge of what is in season to guess what will likely be on sale at the grocery. As always, flexibility is key to frugal menu planning. If different foods go on sale than I was expecting, my menu will change as it is not set in stone.
How do you menu plan when your pantry is empty? What do you do on sick days? Do you make extra trips to the store to buy foods good for sicknesses, stick with the medicine from the doctor and eat the same food as you would have otherwise, or make do with the food you already have at home?
Sunday:
Breakfast- Spanish rice, watermelon
Supper- Chicken "meat"ball vegetable soup
Monday:
Breakfast- Rice and carrot omelets
Lunch- Chicken "meat"ball vegetable soup
Supper- Chicken "meat"ball vegetable soup
Tuesday:
Breakfast- Oatmeal carrot muffins and yogurt
Lunch- Rice with cheesey tuna veggie sauce
Supper- French fries with cheesy tuna sauce and veggie spears
Wednesday:
Breakfast- Toasted oatmeal with milk and fruit
Lunch- French fries and stretched tuna and veggie spears
Supper- Seitan shishkebabs, potato salad, and sauerkraut
Thursday:
Breakfast- Banana shakes
Lunch- Potato salad, sauerkraut, and leftover shishkebab
Supper- Szechuan garlic eggplant with ground chicken over rice
Friday:
Breakfast- Homemade granola chunk with yogurt
Lunch- Rice with refried beans and tomato salad
Supper- Pitas, Chilled beet soup, sauerkraut, spicy tomato salad, chili, refried beans, ground chicken, tacos
Saturday:
Breakfast- Lazy oat cereal
Lunch- Pitas, Chilled beet soup, sauerkraut, spicy tomato salad, chili, refried beans, ground chicken, tacos
Supper- Beet salad, eggplant salad, sauerkraut, spicy tomato salad
Our recipe this week was greatly affected by our stomach bug and by the fact that Tuesday is my bi-weekly shopping day and my fridge is near empty. Fortunately I have the perfect tummy bug remedies in my stockpile- plenty of rice, carrots, and chicken. I used my stockpile and the few veggies on their last legs in my fridge combined with the knowledge of what is in season to guess what will likely be on sale at the grocery. As always, flexibility is key to frugal menu planning. If different foods go on sale than I was expecting, my menu will change as it is not set in stone.
How do you menu plan when your pantry is empty? What do you do on sick days? Do you make extra trips to the store to buy foods good for sicknesses, stick with the medicine from the doctor and eat the same food as you would have otherwise, or make do with the food you already have at home?