Menu Plan Monday--Real Food

In case you are wondering how I came up with the title for this blog, this post will explain. I've watched a lot of cooking shows and explored a lot of food sites in my time. While I have found A LOT of awesome resources, sometimes the food is not realistic for day to day cook. The woman like me who does like to try new things, and experiment with interesting ingredients, but for the most part just needs some great low-cost, simple, and quick meals to feed my family. REAL food for REAL families with REAL schedules. So, I have tried to create that here, and that is what this post is about.

Frugal meals are based upon the concept of real food. Nothing irritates me quite like a recipe that claims to be cost effective and then calls for a can of this and a box of that. In general, food is less expensive when you purchase it as close to the natural source as possible. For example, you can buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for the same price as a bag of frozen hash browns or a box of mashed potato flakes.

So, when you make your menus, I recommend doing so with an attempt to stick to using real food as much as possible. Look for recipes with simple ingredients, or be creative in making substitutions that will use the natural source rather than a processed ingredient. One of the greatest resources for this type of recipes is old cookbooks, that were created before convenience foods were so, well, convenient. I hope that the recipes I share here will help you in your efforts to find real foods that you can use day to day.



Menu for 4/19-4/25

Monday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~ramen
dinner~ham and cheese casserole

Tuesday:
breakfast~cream of wheat
lunch~leftovers
dinner~chicken taquitos

Wednesday:
breakfast~strawberry bread
lunch~picnic-sandwiches, string cheese, and grapes
dinner~steak, spinach salad, baked potatoes, bread

Thursday:
breakfast~scones
lunch~baked potatoes
dinner~cheeseburger pie

Friday:
breakfast~crumb cake
lunch~tuna macaroni salad
dinner~bbq chicken pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~pancakes
lunch~red beans and rice
dinner~spaghetti

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~steak tacos


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies EVER

1 c. peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg

Heat oven to 350. Combine ingredients. Roll dough into small balls and place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake 6-8 mins or until golden brown.

We have to double this recipe!


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Buttery Cornbread

It took me years to find a cornbread recipe that I liked. It HAD to be 13x9 and it had to be buttery. This one finally fit the bill. Here it is. It is so buttery and sweet.

• Buttery Corn Bread
•
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups milk
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture.
Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 22-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cut into squares; serve warm.


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu is one of my hubby's favorite foods and quickly becoming my kids' as well! And when I realized how super easy it is to prepare, it started getting added to my menus regularly! I am sure there is some super fancy, French techniques to preparing this dish the authentic way, but this way is quick, simple and delicious! Works for me!

Heat about an inch of oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Take BLSL (boneless skinless) chicken breasts and slice across the center horizontally. Place one slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese into the opening of each piece of chicken. Close as tightly as you can. Holding closed, place into an egg wash and then dip into seasoned flour (I just use flour and seasoned salt). Put a toothpick into the chicken breast to hold together and place into the hot oil. Cook 5-7 minutes then turn over. Cook another 5 minutes, then check the internal temperature of the chicken. Once it reaches 165 or more, the chicken is fully cooked and you are safe to remove it from the oil. Place on a plate lined with paper towels and blot the excess grease. Bon appetit!


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Menu Plan Monday--Frugal Menu Planning

One of the greatest benefits of menu planning is the amount of money it can save you. Groceries is usually the second largest expense for the common household, second only to the house payment or rent. So, there is lots of opportunity in this area of the family budget. Menu planning can save you money because you are not running to the store at the last minute. As we all know when you go in for one thing, you come out with ten. Also, because you are planning each meal, you are not purchasing ingredients that you don't need, and that will end up sitting on your shelf or getting thrown out as wasted money. Over the next few weeks, I will share various ideas of how to best use your menu planning to maximize your savings.

*if you have any specific questions or concerns regarding frugal menu planning, please feel free to ask.

My first tip for frugal menu planning, is to first use what you have. So often we will go out and spend a fortune at the store, when we already have plenty of meals in our freezer and pantry. On the day that you make your menu plans, do a full inventory of what you have on hand, and plan meals using these ingredients first. You may have noticed that every Tuesday we have leftovers for lunch. That is because this is my menu planning day. So, we use up our leftovers, I clean out the refrigerator and freezer, and that allows me to see what I have left and what needs to be used up. This not only allows food not to go to waste (wasted food is wasted money) but also allows me to minimize the things I need to purchase at the store. Sometimes if it is a really tight payday, I will challenge myself to make a full week or two weeks menu with only what I have on hand. When I do this, I usually only have to buy milk, eggs, butter, flour, and sugar. Talk about savings!!

Here is my weeks menu:
*note--I am going out of town this weekend, and as you can see from my weekend menu, my family likes me to get all the quick fix, unhealthy, convenience meals I don't normally purchase for while I am gone. Good thing I saved money on my normal menu by using what I had on hand!!


Monday:
breakfast~yogurt with granola
lunch~minestrone
dinner~ham and cheddar bake (using leftover Easter ham)

Tuesday:
breakfast~oatmeal
lunch~leftovers
dinner~chicken cordon bleu, green beans, red potatoes, beer bread

Wednesday:
breakfast~strawberry muffins
lunch~picnic of sandwiches, pretzels, apples and dip
dinner~steak, baked potatoes, carrots, cornbread

Thursday:
breakfast~scones
lunch~southwest salad
dinner~pasta with diced tomatoes and fresh parmesan

Friday:
breakfast~pop tarts
lunch~chili dogs
dinner~pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~blueberry waffles
lunch~ham omelets
dinner~mac n cheese with sausage

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~steak tacos (using leftover steak from Wed)


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Asian Salad

I try to eat salad for lunch several times a week. I make lots of different varieties to keep from getting bored. This is one of my favorites :)

Asian Salad
Start with a bed of greens. I usually use romaine hearts and spring mix for my salad "base". Then add:

thinly sliced green peppers
grated carrots
water chestnuts
soybeans
diced pineapple or mandarin oranges
cooked chicken if desired

top with dried chow mein noodles

For dressing, you can purchase an asian style dressing in several different brands. Or you can make a simple dressing with soy sauce, oil, and vinegar. Shake well before sprinkling on top of salad.


© 2010-2011 Day to Day Cook - All Rights Reserved

Super Easy Smoothies

I know that smoothies are very popular right now, with more and more specialty stores popping up, and many restaurants adding them to their menus. But you can make your own smoothies at home, for much less money, and they will be way healthier than their Juice It Up sugar loaded counterparts.

There isn't an exact science to this. Just throw the ingredients in your blender go!

a small container of yogurt or about a cup--can use plain, vanilla, or any flavor you'd like

a couple handfuls of fresh fruit (favorites are strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwi, raspberries-you can use ANY)

a handful of ice
*OR you can use frozen fruit and not add ice

a splash of fruit juice or milk--add more if your smoothie is not liquid enough to drink

a spoonful of protein whey powder-optional

Blend on puree or higher speed, until ingredients are well blended and mixture is smooth.

Yep, it's that easy. Enjoy!!


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