I’ve told you about my Book Club, right?
Well, ok, hold up. It’s a Mamas Group. I admit it. But I like to call us a Book Club as it sounds so refined and sophisticated and academic, so unlike how I typically feel in my everyday t-shirt-and-jeans-life, pushing my kids on the swings at the park and trying desperately not to check my phone every 5 minutes. Can you relate?
Ok, back to Book Club.
Well this weekend we descended upon Long Beach, CA for a conference we’ve been looking forward to nearly all year, staying at a local hotel together and getting far too little sleep. These women are my core community, and together we’re reading books, raising kids, loving husbands, and wholeheartedly trying to care for those around us.
I’m still flying high on the weekend, and excited to share this week’s menu!
A quick note: there are a few more involved or fancy dishes for company or weekend meals, and several that will be great during the week since they’re easy to whip up. Have a great week, and if you make any of these meals let me know how it goes!
Dinner #1:
Almond Chicken and Haricots Vert with Shallots
Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total: $5.21 for the chicken + $3.24 for the green beans
Dinner #2:
Falafel Pitas with a Simple Salad
Prep and Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total: $3.95 for the falafel pitas + estimated $2.00 for a side salad
Dinner #3:
Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta, with a Simple Salad
Prep and Cooking Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total: $7.95 for the chicken and polenta+estimated $2.00 for a side salad
Dinner #4:
Roasted Salmon with a Blackberry Jalapeno Butter and Roasted Cauliflower
Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total: $13.75 for the salmon + $1.88 for the cauliflower
Dinner #5:
Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli and Asiago with a Simple Salad
Prep and Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Total: $8.00 for the pasta + estimated $2.00 for the salad
Dinner #6:
Hearty Chicken Tortilla Soup and Cornbread
Prep and Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Total: $9.07 for the soup + estimated $2.00 for the cornbread
Total for 6 nights of dinners: $61.05! That’s about $2.18 per serving.
Shopping List (items you likely don’t already have in your pantry):
Meat
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (I look for around $1.99/lb)
- 3-4 pound fryer chicken, cut (I look for around $1.99/lb)
- 2 pounds salmon (I look for around $4.99/b)
- 1 pound italian sausage (I buy chicken sausage for around $2.99/lb)
Produce/Herbs
- 1 pound haricots vert
- 3 shallots
- 1 bunch italian parsley
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (I prefer fresh, but wouldn’t pay for it since it’s like a weed around here)
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 head garlic
- 1 avocado
- 1 lemon
- 1 cucumber
- lettuce (for salads)
- tomato
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 heads broccoli
- 1 1/2 cup blackberries (sub dried cherries if you can’t get your hands on fresh blackberries)
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2 onions
- 1 bell pepper (any color)
- 1 pound mushrooms
Pantry
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas
- 2 whole wheat pitas
- 2 1/2 cups red wine
- 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 pound pasta (fusilli or rigatoni)
- 4 anchovy fillets (optional, for pasta)
- 8 corn tortillas
- 6 cups chicken stock
- cornbread
Dairy/Eggs
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 sticks butter
- 1/4 cup asiago cheese
- shredded jack cheese for topping on soup
