Home Ec 101 Weekly Menu and Shopping List #7

Have you recovered from Thanksgiving? Here is another week's menu and shopping list. This week's budget savers are chicken thighs and meatless sloppy joes. If you are wondering what my family is eating this week, check out my menu plan at Home Ec 101.

1. Spaghetti with meatballs and marinara, Caesar salad, bread
Basic marinara comes together quickly, but don't feel badly if you opt for a jarred version. This meal can be thrown together in no time with bagged salad and bread from the bakery.

2. Unsloppy joes, carrot and celery sticks with ranch or blue cheese for dipping

Garlic and Soy Chicken

3. Garlic and soy chicken thighs, rice, steamed broccoli
To add some kick to the broccoli, after it has steamed toss it with a little soy sauce and garlic in a frying pan over medium heat. This should only take two – three minutes, don't overcook your broccoli, you'll destroy lots of the vitamins.

4. BBQ pork chops, macaroni and cheese, butter beans (baby lima beans)
Don't stress, this is in-authentic BBQ, we're just baking and basting. Slap your porkchops on a baking sheet, bake at 375 for 15 minutes, flip and baste with your favorite BBQ sauce, and bake for another 10 -15 minutes. These times are estimates for 1/2" thick chops. To add flavor to the butter beans, cook them in chicken broth or stock.

Fried Green Corn

5. Oven baked chicken chimichangas, refried beans, fried green corn.
Instead of round steak, place the chicken in your crockpot or slow cooker and cover with the salsa. When the chicken is fully cooked seperate the meat from the bones and shred. Freeze your unused portion for next week's quesadillas.

6. Pizza Night
Not up for making your own crust? That’s fine, grab a loaf or three of Italian bread and slice them lengthwise in half from top to bottom. You should have two wide, flat slices when you are through. Top with sauce and toppings and bake at 400F until gooey and delicious. This sauce can be made in the crockpot.

7. It's time for everyone's favorite C.O.R.N. That's Clean Out the Refigerator Night! Doing this once a week helps ensure no food goes to waste

The shopping list is after the jump.

Not included in the grocery list are standard pantry items: flour, yeast, sugar, and cooking oil (usually olive, sometimes vegetable). Determine the amount of each item based on the size of your family. All of the linked recipes come from my site Home Ec 101and easily serve a family of 4 – 6 with leftovers eaten at lunch and one night of the week.

Spices will be listed, as what is considered common can vary by region and ethnicity. Simply cross off those you already have.

Bakery:
Buns for the unsloppy joes
Your favorite bread to accompany spaghetti

Dairy Case and Products:
Butter
Cheddar cheese (block or grated, for the chimichangas and macaroni and cheese)
Eggs
Mozzarella
Sour cream (optional)

Dry Goods:
Bread crumbs
Elbow macaroni
5 oz Evaporated milk
3 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
3 14.5 cans diced tomatoes
6oz can tomato paste
8oz can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans
refried beans
rice
Spaghetti noodles
Tortillas (flour)

Freezer Section:
Broccoli
Butter beans (baby limas)
Corn

Meat:
Chicken thighs
Ground beef
Hot or mild Italian Sausage
Pepperoni
Pork chops
Whole chicken or equivalent weight in bone-in pieces

Produce:
Bell pepper
Caesar salad (you can buy romaine, parmesan, and dressing to make your own)
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Green onions
Parsley
Yellow or white onions

Spices / Condiments:

Basil
BBQ sauce
Cider vinegar (red wine vinegar or white vinegar will work in the recipe)
Chili powder
Dry mustard
Honey
Hot sauce (Tabasco)
Italian seasoning
Molasses
Salsa
Soy sauce