spacegrandma (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spacegrandma) wrote2018-10-20 09:56 am
spacegrandma) wrote2018-10-20 09:56 am
Entry tags:
next week's meal plan + stockpiling
In last week's post, I mentioned having a well-stocked pantry and after being asked how I keep my pantry stocked, I thought I'd share my process - stockpiling. That word is kind of scary when you picture extreme couponing and shelves packed with tons of products, but I'm not about that life. Here's what I do when I'm stockpiling (which is not all the time!): I put $5 of my grocery bill toward buying as many of one staple product I need per grocery trip.
The first step of this process is brainstorming a list of staples you use most often in your house. For me, my list looks something like this: flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, yeast, vegetable oil, cream of mushroom soup, rice, beans, canned veggies and fruit, canned tomatoes, salt, butter, pasta, spices, rice and pasta mixes.
It does take a bit of time to grow the stockpile, but the impact on my overall grocery budget was minimal. I try to shop sales when I'm stockpiling as well - I know that around Christmas, all the baking supplies are on sale so I try to stockpile baking supplies around that time. Every so often my grocery store will do a sale on beans, so I'll stock up on dried and canned beans then. Sometimes my store does a buy one, get one free sale on spices, so I'll stock up then on spices.
You also don't have to be stockpiling all the time. I tend to have a couple month's worth of stable food on me at a time and I - this is really important -- use it up before I stockpile more. You also have to be on top of expiry dates; when you bring home new food, place it toward the back and cycle up your items that need to be used soon.
For example, on one trip I'd buy as many bags of flour as I could for $5. The next trip, I'd buy as many cans of diced tomatoes as I could for $5, etc.
Next week's meal plan includes a meal prep recipe! I'll make this recipe on the weekend to use in a recipe during the week and freeze the rest of it in serving portions for when I don't want to cook.
Monday: Cheesy Baked Potato Soup, Arugula Salad
Tuesday: Loaded Mac & Cheese Muffins, Wedge Salad
Wednesday: Kale & Mushroom Alfredo Ravioli, Tomato & Red Onion Salad
Thursday: Easy Taco Bowls
Friday: Pizza Night ($5 Cheese Pizza from Papa Murphy's)
Meal Prep Recipe: Vegetarian Chili
Shopping List
Pantry Items
All-Purpose Flour
Olive Oil
Garlic
Olive Oil Dressing
Balsamic Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Honey
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Savor Greek Yogurt
Recipes
Cheesy Baked Potato Soup
serves 2
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 8 minutes or until tender. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in broth.
Add potatoes; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes to desired consistency. Stir in milk Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper; cook until thoroughly heated. Top soup with green onions.
Notes: I'll use Savor Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream. I probably won't peel the potatoes (after washing thoroughly) because a) peeling potatoes is the worst and b) you're loosing all those good potato peel nutrients if you peel them.
Arugula Salad
serves 2
5 oz arugula
3 tbsp olive oil dressing
Toss to coat.
Notes: I'll probably dress up this salad with feta left over from last week and any produce I have on hand.
Loaded Mac & Cheese Muffins
yields 6 muffins
4 oz elbow macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
chopped green onions
Preheat oven to 400F. Cook pasta according to package directions; set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, parsley, salt and pepper; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; cook, whisking frequently, 10 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Gradually stir in cheese until melted. Stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into a greased 6-cup standard muffin tin.
Bake 20 minutes; sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and green onions.
Notes: I'll definitely double this recipe and freeze half of the macaroni. They'll keep in freezer bags well.
Wedge Salad
serves 2
1 small head of lettuce, cut into wedges
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup salad dressing
Place wedges on serving plates; top with tomatoes and drizzle with dressing.
Notes: I'll be using romaine lettuce and there will be no wedges. May spruce up with other toppings.
Kale & Mushroom Alfredo Ravioli
serves 2
1 (25-oz) package frozen cheese ravioli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (8-oz) package mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (5-oz) package baby kale
1 (15-oz) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
Cook ravioli according to package directions.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender. Add kale; cook 3 minutes or until wilted.
Stir in Alfredo sauce and pepper; cook 3 minutes. Serve sauce over ravioli.
Notes: I'll be using regular kale, shredded, because it's cheaper. You can make your Alfredo sauce if you wish -- all you need is butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.
Tomato & Red Onion Salad
serves 2
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Toss tomatoes and onion with salt and pepper in a serving bowl. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, honey and mustard; toss gently with tomato mixture.
Notes: I may omit the honey and Dijon mustard and just use Champagne mustard instead, because I have that on hand.
Easy Taco Bowls
serves 2
1 (15-oz) can vegetarian chili
1/2 (16-oz) bag tortilla chips
1/2 (5-oz) package chopped romaine lettuce
2/3 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup refrigerated salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
1 green onion, chopped
Cook chili according to package directions. Break chips. Layer chips, lettuce, chili, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and green onions in 2 large serving bowls.
Notes: I'll use up whatever greens I have left on this recipe -- romaine, kale, arugula, parsley, whatever. If I have any potatoes leftover, I'll probably dice them and pan fry them with chili powder and cumin. I'll have half a red onion leftover, so that will go in this as well. Again, I'll use Savor Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream. In place of the canned vegetarian chili, I'll be making my favorite vegetarian chili recipe to go on top. Go wild. This will probably end up serving more than two. It would also be good with some sort of ranch dressing -- creamy jalapeno, chipotle ranch, etc.
Vegetarian Chili
makes so much damn chili
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, cored and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 can (14.5-oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5-oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans (15-oz) diced tomatoes
In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Stir together and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.
Mix in beans and tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with desired toppings. Leftovers will keep for about a week or in the freezer for a couple months.
Notes: This is a very forgiving chili. You can add vegetable broth to make it more soupy. I like to use fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Pinto beans are great as well in this chili. You can add other veggies if your heart so desires. I'll freeze a bunch of this in quart sized bags so I can have chili whenever I want. Great on nachos, potatoes, etc. You can even make it in the slow cooker and just let it go all day and it's so good.
The first step of this process is brainstorming a list of staples you use most often in your house. For me, my list looks something like this: flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, yeast, vegetable oil, cream of mushroom soup, rice, beans, canned veggies and fruit, canned tomatoes, salt, butter, pasta, spices, rice and pasta mixes.
It does take a bit of time to grow the stockpile, but the impact on my overall grocery budget was minimal. I try to shop sales when I'm stockpiling as well - I know that around Christmas, all the baking supplies are on sale so I try to stockpile baking supplies around that time. Every so often my grocery store will do a sale on beans, so I'll stock up on dried and canned beans then. Sometimes my store does a buy one, get one free sale on spices, so I'll stock up then on spices.
You also don't have to be stockpiling all the time. I tend to have a couple month's worth of stable food on me at a time and I - this is really important -- use it up before I stockpile more. You also have to be on top of expiry dates; when you bring home new food, place it toward the back and cycle up your items that need to be used soon.
For example, on one trip I'd buy as many bags of flour as I could for $5. The next trip, I'd buy as many cans of diced tomatoes as I could for $5, etc.
Next week's meal plan includes a meal prep recipe! I'll make this recipe on the weekend to use in a recipe during the week and freeze the rest of it in serving portions for when I don't want to cook.
Monday: Cheesy Baked Potato Soup, Arugula Salad
Tuesday: Loaded Mac & Cheese Muffins, Wedge Salad
Wednesday: Kale & Mushroom Alfredo Ravioli, Tomato & Red Onion Salad
Thursday: Easy Taco Bowls
Friday: Pizza Night ($5 Cheese Pizza from Papa Murphy's)
Meal Prep Recipe: Vegetarian Chili
Shopping List
| ITEM | PRICE | COUPON | FINAL PRICE |
| Kroger Black Cherry Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt (10) | $4.00 | No | $4.00 |
| Kroger Unsweetened Applesauce 46-oz | $1.99 | No | $1.99 |
| Canada Dry Ginger Ale 6-Pack (2) | $6.98 | On Sale | $5.00 |
| PS Green Chile Gourmet Salsa | $1.89 | No | $1.89 |
| 1/2 Gallon Whole Milk | $1.69 | No | $1.69 |
| Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2) | $4.38 | On Sale | $3.98 |
| Sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms | $2.49 | On Sale | $2.00 |
| Russet Potatoes (5) | $3.90 | No | $3.90 |
| Red Onion (1) | $0.50 | No | $0.50 |
| Roma Tomatoes (4) | $1.00 | No | $1.00 |
| Romaine Hearts (3) | $3.29 | No | $3.29 |
| Green Onions (1) | $0.69 | No | $0.69 |
| Parsley | $0.89 | No | $0.89 |
| Organic Kale | $0.99 | No | $0.99 |
| Baby Arugula | $3.49 | No | $3.49 |
| Cheese Ravioli | $2.79 | No | $2.79 |
| Diced Tomatoes (3) | $1.47 | No | $1.47 |
| Canned Black Beans | $0.59 | No | $0.59 |
| Canned Kidney Beans | $0.59 | No | $0.59 |
| Green Bell Peppers (2) | $1.78 | No | $1.78 |
| Yellow Onion (3 lb) | $1.79 | No | $1.79 |
| Canned Vegetable Broth (2) | $1.18 | On Sale | $1.00 |
| Tortilla Chips | $1.49 | No | $1.49 |
| Elbow Macaroni | $1.00 | No | $1.00 |
| Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce | $1.49 | No | $1.49 |
| TOTAL PRICE | $49.40 |
Pantry Items
All-Purpose Flour
Olive Oil
Garlic
Olive Oil Dressing
Balsamic Vinegar
Dijon Mustard
Honey
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Savor Greek Yogurt
Recipes
Cheesy Baked Potato Soup
serves 2
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, 8 minutes or until tender. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in broth.
Add potatoes; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes to desired consistency. Stir in milk Add cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in sour cream, salt, and pepper; cook until thoroughly heated. Top soup with green onions.
Notes: I'll use Savor Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream. I probably won't peel the potatoes (after washing thoroughly) because a) peeling potatoes is the worst and b) you're loosing all those good potato peel nutrients if you peel them.
Arugula Salad
serves 2
5 oz arugula
3 tbsp olive oil dressing
Toss to coat.
Notes: I'll probably dress up this salad with feta left over from last week and any produce I have on hand.
Loaded Mac & Cheese Muffins
yields 6 muffins
4 oz elbow macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
chopped green onions
Preheat oven to 400F. Cook pasta according to package directions; set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in flour, parsley, salt and pepper; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk; cook, whisking frequently, 10 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Gradually stir in cheese until melted. Stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into a greased 6-cup standard muffin tin.
Bake 20 minutes; sprinkle with cheddar cheese, and bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and green onions.
Notes: I'll definitely double this recipe and freeze half of the macaroni. They'll keep in freezer bags well.
Wedge Salad
serves 2
1 small head of lettuce, cut into wedges
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 cup salad dressing
Place wedges on serving plates; top with tomatoes and drizzle with dressing.
Notes: I'll be using romaine lettuce and there will be no wedges. May spruce up with other toppings.
Kale & Mushroom Alfredo Ravioli
serves 2
1 (25-oz) package frozen cheese ravioli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (8-oz) package mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (5-oz) package baby kale
1 (15-oz) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
Cook ravioli according to package directions.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender. Add kale; cook 3 minutes or until wilted.
Stir in Alfredo sauce and pepper; cook 3 minutes. Serve sauce over ravioli.
Notes: I'll be using regular kale, shredded, because it's cheaper. You can make your Alfredo sauce if you wish -- all you need is butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese.
Tomato & Red Onion Salad
serves 2
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Toss tomatoes and onion with salt and pepper in a serving bowl. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, honey and mustard; toss gently with tomato mixture.
Notes: I may omit the honey and Dijon mustard and just use Champagne mustard instead, because I have that on hand.
Easy Taco Bowls
serves 2
1 (15-oz) can vegetarian chili
1/2 (16-oz) bag tortilla chips
1/2 (5-oz) package chopped romaine lettuce
2/3 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup refrigerated salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
1 green onion, chopped
Cook chili according to package directions. Break chips. Layer chips, lettuce, chili, cheese, salsa, sour cream, and green onions in 2 large serving bowls.
Notes: I'll use up whatever greens I have left on this recipe -- romaine, kale, arugula, parsley, whatever. If I have any potatoes leftover, I'll probably dice them and pan fry them with chili powder and cumin. I'll have half a red onion leftover, so that will go in this as well. Again, I'll use Savor Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream. In place of the canned vegetarian chili, I'll be making my favorite vegetarian chili recipe to go on top. Go wild. This will probably end up serving more than two. It would also be good with some sort of ranch dressing -- creamy jalapeno, chipotle ranch, etc.
Vegetarian Chili
makes so much damn chili
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, cored and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 can (14.5-oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5-oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans (15-oz) diced tomatoes
In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Stir together and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.
Mix in beans and tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve with desired toppings. Leftovers will keep for about a week or in the freezer for a couple months.
Notes: This is a very forgiving chili. You can add vegetable broth to make it more soupy. I like to use fire-roasted diced tomatoes. Pinto beans are great as well in this chili. You can add other veggies if your heart so desires. I'll freeze a bunch of this in quart sized bags so I can have chili whenever I want. Great on nachos, potatoes, etc. You can even make it in the slow cooker and just let it go all day and it's so good.