Cheap menus

Blessings Darlings!

I was asked what my menus are for this funds-free time/cash-flow problem.  So, here you go!

Breakfasts are mostly hot cereal - oatmeal with dry milk, dry fruit, nuts or grits or cornmeal mush.

Lunches are soups, often with open face grilled cheese, and with an apple or orange.  I make a gallon or so of soup once or twice a week.  Currently we are having split pea soup.

The dinner menu is where the variability is.  Now, while we are currently working on a $40 a week budget for 3 adults and two cats, before we were on an $80 per week budget.  That allowed me to fill the freezer and pantry, and is allowing us to eat a larger variety of foods now.  I'm only buying meat for one meal in the next 3 weeks, altho' I am buying eggs and cheese.

So, our dinners for the first 3 weeks of 'middle class survival' eating are:

Shrimp Yaki Soba, using cabbage, carrots, and home-sprouted bean sprouts.

Sausages (in hot dog buns), potatoes, cole slaw.

Stew with beef (beef is leftovers from a previous dinner.)

Eggs - veggie omelets for Chubby Hubby and I, sandwich for Spawn; and fruit and home made rolls.  We'll do this once a week.

Pork Fried Rice, featuring more home sprouted bean sprouts.

Fried Chicken - we will have this 3 times - I made a lot and froze it because chicken was on a GREAT sale; home-canned corn, veggies

Pasta Carbonera, salad, veggies

Superbowl Sunday - okay, I'm buying a pound of deli meat/cheese and one tomato and making subs.  But I'll make the bread and cole slaw myself.  And pop corn, not chips.

Corned beef - I've a corned beef brisket in the freezer.  This will be at least two meals, maybe 3.

Chicken or pork stir fry - more cabbage/carrots/bean sprouts in use, rice.  Once a week.

Pasta with meat sauce, salad, veggies. Some pasta once or twice a week.

Home-made steak and cheese, because we have thin sliced raw beef in the freezer and I can make rolls.  More cole slaw with this, and potatoes.

Tacos - filling half beef and half black bean.  Taco bell has nothing on me.  I can make tacos where the filling is only 38% beef myself!

Spanish rice.

Pulled pork (we smoked a pork shoulder that was at a GREAT price recently)

Veggie Flautas

Mackerel/salmon patties/crouquettes

Pancakes

Waffles

Remember

I can do this because I have a fairly full pantry.  I've not even worked the canned ham or tuna into rotation, mostly because I think the guys will be using them for half sandwiches at lunch when we don't have cheese. Or we could use them at dinners with soups, an have peanut butter at lunch.  We have options.