January 14- February 15th - One Month of Dinners

We want to save some money, so, I tightened the food budget again...and hopefully can keep it to $200 a month. To help with that, I made a meal plan for the month. (Planning is the best way to save money for me.) The plan below uses a lot of what I already have on hand in my pantry. It will be trickier as my pantry is depleated...but for now, we have some tastey homemade cheap wholesome meals! (FYI: It's easy to make your own cream of whatever (chicken, mushroom, etc) soups....and tastes better too. This is a great way to save money and know what's in your food.) Enjoy!

12: Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Mac & Cheese with Panko bread crumb topping, & Peas
13: Chicken Curry (coconut oil, chicken thighs, carrots, califlower, water chestnuts, onion, garlic, ginger powder, chicken stock, & curry powder) & Rice
14: Spaghetti (ground turkey, onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings: basil, oregano, rosemary, pepper, salt, sugar...) with Noodles
15: Palak Paneer (basically an Indian creamed spinach!)
16: Baked Turkey/ Black Beans -refried beans/ Cheese/ Green onion/ salsa Burritos with leftover homemade hot sauce
17: Crockpot Roast Chicken --turned into shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches on homemade rolls with a vinegerette based cabbage slaw (green cabbage, red cabbage, shredded carrot, canola oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar or honey, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, --maybe celery seed) [FYI: The coleslaw link is the base of the recipe, I just don't use mayo and yogurt--I replace with olive oil and apple cider vinegar--using a 1/3 ratio: vinegar/oil--and adjust as needed the lime juice.]
18: Channa Masala (Indian: chickpeas cooked in a tomato/cream sauce) & roti (Indian non-rising bread....oil, wheat flour, water dough)
19: Pesto on Pasta with Peas- served with marinated grilled Chicken Breasts (lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper)
20: Whole Wheat Pancakes with Peach Freezer Jam with creamy scrambled eggs (stir the whole time they cook over low heat, with some butter, salt, and pepper--and a splash of milk) & fresh fruit-- like bananas
21: Freezer Meal: "Hamburger" (really I used .25 lb gound beef and the rest was ground turkey) Soup and Cheesy Rolls with a green salad
22: Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni & olives
23: Crockpot cooked Pinto Beans with Rice
24: Crockpot Falafel with homemade pita bread (served with spiced sour cream or yogurt, cucumbers, tomato, lettuce, & feta)
25: Grilled Chicken Fajitas with homemade tortillas
26: Spaghetti (with ground turkey) & Rolls
27: Fried Rice (use day old rice for stick free rice) (Chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, ginger powder or fresh, eggs, rice, low-sodium soy sauce...that's basically it)
28: Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches/Sliders (grilled chicken breasts-- dipped into mixture of half hot sauce/ half melted butter, then served on bread with sour cream, blue cheese (or feta), tomato, and onion)
29: Chili & Cornbread Muffins (use 3 Large eggs if don't have 2 XL, and instead of cupcake papers to line pan, grease up tin with cocnut oil for extra flaror and a beautiful shape)
30: Leftovers
31: Whole Wheat Pancakes and Eggs (use the creamy egg technique is link)
Feb 1: Cajun Chicken Pasta (chicken, peppers, onions, tomatoes cooked up with cajun seasoning, sauce made with cooking wine/ cream/ and cayanne pepper)
2: Thai Chicken Cabbage Salad (chicken, cabbage, carrot, green onion, sesame oil/ Seeds, rice vinegar, brown sugar or honey, ginger, garlic, salt, and maybe dry ramen noodles for crunch)
3: Hummus Platter with bread, cucumbers, tomato, feta, and maybe grilled chicken
4: Swedish Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Potatoes and Gravy...and veggies
5: Leftovers
6: Healthy Fettuccine "Alfredo"  (made with califlower) & Peas
7: Black Beans & Rice (with Pico de Gallo if I have produce on hand) Season cooked beans with some cumin and salt....top with some Challula Hot Sauce. Simple.
8: Turkey Sloppy Joes  (use half sugar) on homemade rolls and raw veggies-- with oven potato fries (cut, season with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary and roast)
9: Chicken Pot Pie (homemade savory pie crust, cooked chicken, peas, carrots, potatoes, in a chicken broth/milk roux based gravy)
10: Pigs in a blanket- turkey dogs wrapped in homemade pizza dough, fresh fruit, and carrot sticks
11: Hawaiian Haystacks- chicken gravy over rice & topped with wacky things like chowmein noodles, celery, green onions, toasted shredded coconut, pineapple, olives, cheddar cheese, etc.)
12: Baked Ziti (or Spaghetti), breadsticks, and green salad with sweet balsamic vinegerette (olive or canola oil, basamic vinegar, salt, sugar)
13: Whole Wheat Pancakes with sauted carmalized sliced apples, walnuts, and homemade whipped cream
14: Roasted Tomato Soup (cut tomatoes, onion, garlic and put on roasting pan, cover in olive oil, salt, basil and oregano-- and roast. Then puree in food processor, and then put in pot on stove to warm. Add cream) & Mini Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on homemade bread
15: Leftovers!

NOTE: If you don't want Whole Wheat Pancakes, use my husband's amazing buttermilk pancake recipe. So good!