next week’s menu plan #8, grocery list included!

Oh the cooking I’ve done this week.

Hang onto your hats, it’s going to be a culinarily exciting week.  And I’m pretty sure I just made up the word culinarily.  Do I get something for that?  Anyway, I’m thrilled about what’s been coming out of the kitchen lately so stay tuned!!

What’s cooking this week?

I’ve got some pasta, a heavenly sweet, salty and creamy pizza…and a soup that requires a little simmering love but is SO worth it so plan ahead!  Ok, I’m going to back off the exclamation points now.  I’m just really stoked…can you tell?  And can I still use the term stoked considering I’m a 30+ year old woman living in the year 2012?

Well happy eating!

Dinner #1:

Creamy Sausage and Tomato Pasta and a Simple Side Salad

Prep and Cooking Time:  25 minutes

Total:  $6.80 + estimated $2.00 for the salad

Dinner #2:

Potato Frittata with Rosemary and Feta and Seasonal Fruit

Prep and Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Total:  $2.55 for the frittata + estimated $2.00 for the fruit

Dinner #3:

Bacon, Pear and Mascarpone Pizza and a Simple Side Salad

Prep and Cooking Time:  25 minutes

Total:  $5.78 for the pizza + estimated $2.00 for the salad

Dinner #4: 

Italian Sausage and Peppers on Asiago Polenta with your Favorite Veggie

Prep and Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Total:  $8.17 for the sausage and peppers + estimated $2.00 for the veggie

Dinner #5:

Bandera’s Macho Salad (possibly deconstructed slightly for the kids)

Prep and Cooking Time:  20 minutes (after chicken has been cooked)

Total:  $12.25

Dinner #6:

African Chicken Peanut Soup and a Crusty Baguette

Prep and Cooking Time:  2 hours (most of that is simmering time for the soup, so plan accordingly)

Total:  $11.80 + estimated $2.00 for bread

Total for 6 nights of dinners:  $57.35!  That’s about $2.05 per serving!

Shopping List:

Meat

• 3 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (use breasts for the soup instead of thighs)
• 2 pounds italian chicken sausage
• 4 strips bacon (I like turkey)

Produce/Herbs

• 1 head garlic
• 3 onions
• 1 russet potato
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• veggie of choice
• 1 red onion
• 1 pear
• fruit of choice (to accompany frittata)
• 1/2 cup basil
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 heads romaine or butter lettuce
• 1 avocado
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 cup corn
• 16 dates

Pantry

• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 fresh baguette
• 1 cup cornbread (to make croutons)
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 pizza dough
• 1 pound spiral or bow tie pasta

Dairy/Eggs

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup feta (for frittata, can sub goat or asiago cheeses instead since there are quite a few this week)
• 1 cup goat cheese
• 1/4 cup asiago cheese
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
• 1/2 cup cream or plain yogurt

Need more meal plans?  I’ve got plenty more to share if you need inspiration in the kitchen!

Browse more plans (with shopping lists!) here.