Grocery shopping

My husband gets paid twice a month so we really have to stretch our grocery funds pretty far. I don't do it EVERY time but yesterday I made a menu of what I want to prepare for the next couple of weeks or so and listed every ingredient that I need to buy for each meal. It really really helps and I notice a difference when I don't make a menu plan because I'll go in the store and come out with like 50 bucks worth of groceries that I won't even use. It's a pain in the neck to actually sit down and write everything but it really works for me. The only thing is that my hubby travels a lot so I don't really know when he'll be home...on the days he's not home I just make myself a sandwich or even eat eggs or a frozen meal for dinner.
here's a sample of what I'm going to make at some point:
meatloaf
chicken alfredo
beef fajitas
grilled chicken
chicken enbueltos (like soft chicken tacos/enchiladas smothered in cream of chicken sauce)
sloppy joes
grilled chicken

I do a menu too. I have to, lots of kids and I hate running around trying to do things last minute. We also have to watch our money and food is our largest bill, even more than we pay in rent every month.

I need your recipe for chicken embueltos please...sounds good!

Our menu for the week: Except weekends. I keep things on hand so we can have what ever seems good. I also make and freeze 1 extra casserole every other week.
I have at least 3 different ones at any given time.

manicotti with a simple salad and garlic butter on long bread
chicken dressing with potato salad, creamed corn and butterbeans. Yeast rolls on the side.
fried ham steaks with fresh green beans with new red potatoes, baked yellow corn and broccoli. Cornbread on the side
meatloaf with mashed potatoes, pinto beans and boiled cabbage. Yeast rolls on the side.
red beans and rice with andouille sausage and long bread on the side

I also have to cook lunch for 6 kids daily.

turkey wraps, dressed, with baked chips on the side. Apple slices and lime jello for snack.
pb and banana sandwiches with cut veggies on the side...Newman O's for snack.
And because we'll have potato salad from the night before, potato salad bbq'd hotdogs and mac and cheese. Mixed fruit for snack.
chicken fingers and baked french fries with dipping sauces, Banana chocolate chip muffin for snack.
make your own mini veggie pizza and applesauce on the side.

And because they are home all day, I have to have on hand enough to feed 6 every morning. Breakfast has to be easy...I am NOT a morning person.

I make 36 pancakes on sat...that's 6 x 2 x 3 days a week. They are free to use any combo of fruits, jams and what have you, but only one day with syrup.
Some days they like them wrapped around sausage links. Usually the day they have syrup. I freeze these in a single layer then put them by 2's in a freezer bag. They reheat well in the oven or micro.
I make our own fruit flavored cream cheese so they get that 1 day a week on bagels with a hard boiled egg.
Fridays they usually have cereal. We try to avoid that sugar laden stuff. And they can add any fruit they wish to it.

very impressive bham!!! and 6 kids eating healthy foods?? VERY impressive! I admire that! I'm not one to buy snacks or sodas though only because I KNOW it'll be me that's going to scarf 'em down! I also keep meaning to freeze pancakes or chicken breast for the week but I never get around to doing it. You're like me in one aspect though, bread with every meal!! I love bread: yeast rolls from Rhodes, Pillsbury frozen dinner rolls, french bread with butter, sweet cornbread... I have to have bread with my meals and it drives my hubby crazy because I keep complaining about my weight yet I don't stop eating bread!
Anyway, here's the recipe for chicken enbueltos...i'm giving you the regular fat/flavor-filled one but i'm sure you can make cuts somewhere! and it looks complicated but it's just that i'm very detail oriented about these things. if you really want to make them-and they are REALLY good-and have more questions, email me and i'll give you my phone number: yflores76@yahoo.com

Oh, and what pancake recipe do you use? I just use the Bisquick one that's on back of their box.

Chicken Enbueltos
1 whole chicken boiled, deboned, and shredded
Reserve about 1 or 2 cups of broth
1 can cream of chicken
corn tortillas (I usually make about 10 or 12 but you can stretch it)
Oil for frying corn tortillas

these spices are done to your own liking, I don't measure:
2 tsp comino (cumin)
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
salt
pepper
1 tbl Knorr Chicken bouillon w/tomato flavor (sub. a little bit of tomato sauce if you can't find it)

1. heat 1/4cup of oil in a small pan
2. in another large pan saute onion and garlic until soft
3. add 3/4 of the chicken with some broth and the comino, s&p, and
Knorr bouillion
4. let it simmer on low while you do the next step
5. in a blender put 1/4 of the chicken and the can of cream of chicken with some broth and pulse until it's chunky and blended; you DONT want it runny! I also flavor it a little with garlic powder, comino and s&p
6. add the cream of chicken to another pan and let it warm
7. when oil is ready fry up the tortillas till they're soft
8. add the chicken to them and roll them up like enchiladas
9. place in a large casserole pan and smother them with the cream of chicken...as much or as little as you'd like
10. serve with shredded lettuce and tomato, sour cream, hot sauce, guacamole...whatever you like!!!

Some possible ways to make it healthier:
boiling skinless chicken breasts
microwaving the tortillas instead of fryin them
healthier cream of chicken

I do the same thing except for a differert reason. Due to recent events, I now have to do everything for myself. I was not use to it and I bought all kinds of crap that I did not use.

I tend to buy things that I can prepare easily with a minimum of mess. I bought all disposable plates, knives and forks and napkins. Instead of buying a lot, I tend to buy things that I will use within a week.

I cleaned out the pantry and threw away a ton of stuff that had outdated not by just a little while but years. It is now up to date.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Good for you Sundancer! about every three months or so I go through my pantry, too. even though people call me anal or "psycho clean freak"; I just like to keep things decluttered around here. I also clean my 'fridge every other month, too. all in all though, I am NOT a clean freak. there are toys everywhere, i love to wash laundry but hate to put it up...my carpet is a diasaster, etc. I just don't want to be like my mom who kept the house mess free but everything else was kind of grimy or dusty.

As for the situation you're in, I'm glad you're simplifying your life. it helped a lot when my cousin lost her husband in a fiery crash last year when he was trucking in Kentucky. she's 34 and raising her two daughters now and has learned to just do everythign as simple as possible.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I do the same thing except for a differert reason. Due to recent events, I now have to do everything for myself. I was not use to it and I bought all kinds of crap that I did not use.

I tend to buy things that I can prepare easily with a minimum of mess. I bought all disposable plates, knives and forks and napkins. Instead of buying a lot, I tend to buy things that I will use within a week.

I cleaned out the pantry and threw away a ton of stuff that had outdated not by just a little while but years. It is now up to date.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I did the same with my moms pantry.
I couldnt believe some of the stuff in there.
After taking care of her for 7 years, and then being alone again, I had to rethink my grocery buying.

Right now.. In my fridge?...mostly take out containers and a huge pot of meatballs/sauce that I made last night.

And all the Buddy Roadhouse sauces one can ever want.

I keep the staples on hand (sometimes)--but working so much in a restaurant and being single, I usually just hit the store when I want to make something for that night.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I do the same thing except for a differert reason. Due to recent events, I now have to do everything for myself. I was not use to it and I bought all kinds of crap that I did not use.

I tend to buy things that I can prepare easily with a minimum of mess. I bought all disposable plates, knives and forks and napkins. Instead of buying a lot, I tend to buy things that I will use within a week.

I cleaned out the pantry and threw away a ton of stuff that had outdated not by just a little while but years. It is now up to date.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Every summer my wife and kids go back to Germany for 2 months. I love cooking and don't want to stop because they aren't here, so I cook normally and then freeze all left overs in individual portions.

It works pretty well if I do a couple things on the weekends then I have it during the week, no muss, no fuss.

A big plus is that I can experiment a bit because when the rest of the family is here I have to worry about vegetarian meals, no onions, etc.

This is also my time to rid the pantry of "stuff."

That Chicken Enbueltos recipe sounds delish. Got that one on my list now.

quote:

Originally posted by naxet76

You're like me in one aspect though, bread with every meal!!

Oh, and what pancake recipe do you use? I just use the Bisquick one that's on back of their box.

I adore bread too! My one treat I never allow myself to feel guilty over.

As for pancakes I use the recipe that was on the back of a Clabber Girl Baking Powder container. It was in a recipe book from my dh's grandmother.

They really are fluffy! I double this and make them a bit larger. Two fills up a 14 year old boy who is starving when he wakes up.



Thank you so much for the recipe! Sounds like something my kids will love. We eat a lot of chicken too and I'm always looking for different ways to fix it.

We are def gonna give it a go this weekend.

roossy, you posted earlier that you were going through your mom's old recipes? that sounds cool. I love looking at old recipes. some of my favorite sites:
www.civilwarinteractive.com/cookbook.htm

www.vintagerecipes.net

www.theoldentimes.com/recipes

of course you can't make most of the recipes because either no one owns a woodburning stove or sometimes the author doesn't put detailed directions because it's assumed the cook should now how to "truss a rabbit"

Sorry to hear about your mom. and i'm curious, what kind of stuff did you find in her pantry??

thanks for the recipe Bham, i'll try to try them this weekend!

desertdog...and bham, too
basically with chicken enbueltos you just want to season the chicken and roll them up like enchiladas and smother them with the cream of chicken that's been seasoned and has chunks of cooked chicken in there.

We usually shop once a week, although will stop by at other times if needed. We use the weekly ad spectacular (!) and plan meals, and it's usually about the meat specials. We buy family packs of chicken and pork chops and hamburger so we always have those to fall back on. Thank God for the food sealer.

Speaking of cleaning out the pantry, I just recently did that while cleaning out all the wifes stuff. I found boxes of Pamper Chef stuff in the box unopened. Must have been a thousand dollars worth. I gave it all to my daughter. Never know what you will find in the pantry.

Wife went to all those Pampered Chef parties a friend of my daughter gave. Judi participated heavily as she did with HSN.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN