Weekly Meal Plan 9/26-9/30: Feed your household on less than $30 a week!!! Delicious meals!!!

Monday, September 26th: Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn or approx. (3) Fresh corn on the cob (cut off the stalk)
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup Sweet Red Pepper
1 cup potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, chopped
5 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint 2% milk or Coconut milk (unflavored)
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp flour
Sour cream (optional)
Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute diced bacon over medium heat until just before crispy; remove bacon and place on a paper towel. Add onion, celery, carrots, fresh corn (if you are using frozen corn DO NOT add yet), red pepper, and garlic to the pan with the rendered bacon fat and saute until tender and onions are translucent. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile boil potatoes until soft. (poke with a fork)
3. Add approximately 1/2 cup butter and 3 tbsp flour to the veggies to make a roux.
4. Add cream slowly. Stirring continuously.
5. Add potatoes, diced cooked bacon (reserve some bacon for the topping) If you are using frozen corn this is were you would add the corn.
6. Let simmer. Stirring for approximately 30 minutes. Season to taste.
7. Serve with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and of course more diced bacon!!!

Prep. Time: 20 min Cook Time: 45 min Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Shopping List:

• Corn on the cob (last week Fred Meyers $0.20 each or $0.50 and under at just about any local grocery store or Top Foods for frozen corn $1.00 each)
• Potatoes (Albertsons 5 lb bag Russets $1.49 each)
• Carrots (Top Foods, 2 lb bag, $1.00 each)
• Sweet Red Pepper (???? let me know if you find an excellent price, the recipe can be done with out these)
• Onion (Top Foods, $0.25/lb)
• Celery (???? usually pretty cheap though)
• Bacon (QFC, Farmland Bacon $3 each and use $0.55/1 Farmland Products printable…total cost $2.45 each)
• 2% milk or Coconut Milk or Soy Milk (Top Foods, 1/2 gallon milk $1.25 each or QFC, Soy Dream ($1.79/ea and use $1/2 Dream Non-Dairy Beverage or Frozen Dessert printable…total cost $1.29 each)

Approximate total cost of meal: $5.00 (depending on what is in your current stockpile and your current catalinas/coupons you have to use!)

Tuesday, September 27th: Chicken, Artichoke and Bacon Pizza

Ingredients:

3-4 slices of bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 cup onion, chopped into thin strings
3/4 cup artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1 cup parmigiana cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Pizza dough (made from scratch or pre-made)

Directions:

1. Pre-Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Make pizza dough or lay out pre-made pizza dough.
3. Cook diced bacon over medium heat until crispy. Then cook chicken and onions in the rendered bacon fat.
4. Mix olive oil and minced garlic in a bowl and spread around entire pizza. Mix the parmigiana and mozzarella cheese in a bowl and cover the pizza with half of the mixture.
5. Add cooked chicken, bacon and onions on top as well as the chopped artichokes.
6. Cover with the remaining cheese mixture.

Prep. Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Shopping List:

• Bacon (QFC, Farmland Bacon $3 each and use $0.55/1 Farmland Products printable…total cost $2.45 each)
• Chicken (Freezer stockpile or Albertsons, whole fryer chicken $0.79/lb…cut it up yourself and save a lot of money!)
• Atichoke Hearts (???? let me know when you find a good price)
• Mozzarella Cheese and Parmigiana Cheese (Safeway, $1.79 each for Lucerne shredded cheese)

Approximate total cost of meal: $5.00 (depending on what is in your current stockpile and your current catalinas/coupons you have to use!)

Wednesday, September 28th: Country Style BBQ Pork, Mashed Potatoes and Salad

Ingredients:
3-5 pounds Pork Shoulder Country Ribs
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 cloves garlic, whole
4 cups potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper
Salad makings

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place pork in a large pot of water with 3 cloves of garlic and boil for approximately 45 minutes.
3. Drain water and place pork in a baking dish and slather generously with BBQ sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
4. In a large pot, boil potatoes until tender. (Test with a fork) Drain water and place back in the pot.
5. Add butter, milk and 1 clove of minced garlic. Mix with a potato masher or hand mixer (until your desired consistency…I like mine kind of lumpy!) Season with salt and pepper.

Prep. Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Shopping List:

• Country Style Shoulder Pork (Albertsons $1.99/lb, about 3-5 lbs)
• Russet potatoes (Albertsons, $1.49/5 lb bag)
• BBQ (Stockpile item or Albertsons Kraft BBQ, $0.79 each and use $0.55/1 Bull’s Eye or Kraft Barbecue Sauce (Kraft Food & Family…Total cost $0.24 each)
• Salad mix (Safeway, Fresh Express $0.99/each and use $2/1 Fresh Express found in Safeway Fresh Ideas Book…Total cost FREE!)

Approximate total cost of meal: $5.00 (depending on what is in your current stockpile and your current catalinas/coupons you have to use!)

Thursday, September 29th: Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked shredded chicken
Salt and pepper
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mexican Spice Blend (or fajita/taco mix)
1 cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
2 cups sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
8 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, olives
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil, once onions are transparent add cooked shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
In a sauce pan combine Cream of Chicken soup, sour cream, stewed tomatoes, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder and Mexican spices
Add 1/2 cup of sauce mixture to Chicken. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Place 1 tortilla at a time in dish, pour equal amounts of chicken mixture in tortillas and roll closed. Repeat for each tortilla.
Slather tortillas with remaining sauce mixture. Cover with cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Prep. Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy

Shopping List:

• Whole Fryer Chicken (use the same one from Mondays meal; Albertsons $0.79/lb)
• Sour Cream (QFC, Kroger brand $1.99)
• Cream of Chicken Soup (Stockpile, or Safeway $1.00 each and use $1/5 Campbell’s Condensed Soup…Total cost $0.80 each)
• Stewed tomatoes (Top Foods, Haggen Brand $0.67 each)
• Seasonings (home spice cabinets)
• *Enchilada Sauce* (if you don’t want to make your own sauce; Top Foods, Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce $2.50 each and use $1/1 Las Palmas Sauce printable….Total cost: $1.50)
• Onion (Top Foods, $0.25/lb)
• Tortillas (Safeway, Artisan $1.49 each and use $1/1 Tearpad or printable…Total cost: $0.49 each)
• Olives (OPTIONAL, Top Food, Haggen brand $1.oo, or Safeway Brand $1.00)
• Avacado (OPTIONAL, Fred Meyer, $2.00 and use B3G1 free printable coupon…Total cost: $1.12 each)

Approximate total cost of meal: $7.00 (depending on what is in your current stockpile and your current catalinas/coupons you have to use!)

Friday, September 30th: Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

6 c. shredded cabbage
1/4 cup Sweet colored peppers, slivered
3 green onions, chopped
2 to 3 c. shredded chicken
2 tbsp. sugar
1/3 c. vegetable or olive oil
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. Top Ramen noodles
1/3 c. sliced almonds
3 tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine cabbage, green onions, sweet colored peppers and chicken in one bowl.
2. In another bowl mix sugar, vinegar, pepper and oil. Combine with packet from Top Ramen. Pour over salad.
3. Crumble noodle and nuts, add just before serving. Sesame seeds are optional.

Shopping List: 

• Whole Fryer Chicken (Albertsons, $0.79/lb)
• 1 head Cabbage (I am using the extra I bought last week from Fred Meyer….not sure for the best price this week)
• Green Onions (From your garden or Fred Meyer)
• Vinegar (Albertsons, Round up deals…Total cost: $0.69)
• Chicken Top Ramen (any grocery store should be under $0.25 each)
• Sliced Almonds (???)

Approximate total cost of meal: $5.00 (depending on what is in your current stockpile and your current catalinas/coupons you have to use!)