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"Make-Do" Meals

Ever had one of those weeks where you think you have enough groceries to last an entire week and then Monday rolls around and you have basically nothing?  Well, that was me this week....and in my line of work, food is a must have!  So....because going to the grocery was the absolute last thing I wanted to do this week, I made the decision to make a menu of the meals we were gonna eat and I was gonna make do with what I had.  It's actually been pretty fun coming up with all kinds of meals that my family (and the ones I keep) would love.  Sunday night I looked through my "ingredients" by searching the pantry, the fridge, the freezer, and the deep freezer.  So....here's my menu for the week and a little description about each meal (in case you are curious)! 

Monday
Breakfast:  Blueberry Muffins (found a box pushed WAY back in the pantry)
Lunch:  Cheese Ravioli (From the frozen food section at Kroger...very tasty and a hit with all the kids ages 1 and up.  With these I just count out enough for 5 kids and boil them, drain them, and pour red marinara sauce on them.), Applesauce, and Lima Beans (from the freezer)
Dinner:  Baked Ziti (From the freezer cooking party in September!), baked apples (my dad gave me a 20 lb box from the Mennonites and I peeled/cored/sliced them and baked them in the crock pot all day on Monday....YUM)

Tuesday
Breakfast:  Biscuits (frozen from SAMs) and Scrambled Eggs (made enough for 5 kids and 3 adults)
Lunch:    Cheese Quesadillas (easy), green beans, and a cutie
Dinner:  Meatloaf (I bought 10 lbs of Lauras Lean Beef for $1.10 a pound a few months ago and froze them!  What a steal!  I added in some green peppers from my garden that I froze, and then egg, oats, and everything else for a typical meatloaf), squash (frozen from my garden) casserole (just threw in random stuff that I had....mushroom soup, bread crumbs, ritz crackers, and butter, and LOTS of cheese), and green beans (frozen from my garden).  This was a hit as well!

Wednesday
Breakfast:  Cinnamon Toast
Lunch:  Homemade Mac N Cheese, peas, and Baked Apples
Dinner:  (This will be interesting....don't know if it will be good)...I just threw a bunch of stuff into the crockpot and I'm calling it Chicken Tortilla Soup although I'm not using my usual recipe.  I added frozen chicken tenderloins, frozen corn, dry red beans (usually use black beans), frozen tomatoes from my garden, tomato sauce, taco seasoning pouch, and green pepper from my garden. 

Thursday
Breakfast:  Oatmeal
Lunch:  Grilled Cheese, Apple Slices, Mixed Veggies (frozen)
Dinner:  Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (Egg noodles, chicken, garlic, chicken bouillon cubes, water)

Friday
Breakfast:  Waffles
Lunch:  Chicken Noodle Soup, Baked Apples (too many apples), Peas
Dinner:  Leftovers!

Taking a few minutes of thinking and planning has really helped us "clean out" the house and has given me an idea of what kinds of foods we will for sure need when we go to the grocery next.  It has seriously provided some of the "best" meals according to my children and the ones I keep.  I wonder just how long I can go before going back?  Hehehe!  Just kidding, we are almost out of milk, bread, and eggs....so probably Saturday! 

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