December: A Week Long Meal Plan on a Budget
It takes real planing to organize this kind of chaos.
- Mel Odom
HBear turned 15 on Friday! My Baby is 15!!! I remember what I was doing at 15 and oh deeaaarrrr! 🤣 This year was a good one for HBear. HBear has really enjoyed high school so far and loves getting involved. This year HBear Went to Vancouver on a band trip and paid for it by mowing the lawn for the entire summer 😉. Danced their last competitive dance and last ballet/contemporary class. Joined the Musical backstage team and was part of Little Shop of Horrors. Rowyn went to Spokane, hung out with friends, got a job at the library, spent time with family, participated in Kool Jazz Band Camp and a songwriting camp with The Arts Festival.
Rowyn spent time at the beach, at the curling rink, expressing a very distinct style, changing hair colours and hairstyles. Another trip to Vancouver with Dad for Vibe dance competition, lots of walks with Oliver, dinner in a bubble, the spring formal, Peachfest, and lots of golfing!
Rowyn won grade 9 percussion player of the year, performed at The Dream Cafe, had art presented at The Art Gallery, went peach picking, go karting, to the movies and the Ribfest. Plus rode the KVR from Arawanna, started drum lessons, spent a TON of time with Besty Sophie, volunteered for the School Halloween Haunted House, started learning the clarinet for concert band, and worked for Sparkles. Rowyn saw The Beaches, hung out with cousins, went to Penticon, completed grade 9 & entered grade 10.
Happy Birthday my HoneyBear! I am incredibly proud of you and love you more than you will ever know 💛 .
Ninja went shopping again. I gave him a second chance to stick to my list. He couldn’t do it. 🤣
For real though, it is coming up on Christmas and we just got through birthdays. This is what I save all my PC points for. I have $680 worth of points saved up at Superstore to use over the holidays when our budgets are tight and we have more expensive ingredients to buy. Baking, guests, fancy dinners… it adds up! Both of the Kid's birthdays just happened! Which means birthday parties, family dinners and snacks so we started stocking up the week we grocery shopped for this meal plan. SBean asked for chicken wings for her birthday dinner. That’s not something I regularly keep stocked up. So Ninja saw a flat of fresh wings and a box of wings and got them. $30. So I said, “use points!” So he did! Also, last week we made soup and ate it for 3 days straight 😂 so last week, my grocery bill was under $70 for fruit, milk and some on sale stock up. At the end of the month, it will all balance out to roughly $600.
Here is December's weekly meal plan staying close to my budget of $156.62! That’s half of what economists think Canadians spend on groceries on a weekly basis. I want you to have all the tools to be able to feed your family 7 healthy(ish) meals, while not putting yourself into the poorhouse! I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you follow this weekly plan and if you were able to stick to the budget!
Sunday: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Monday: Traditional Cottage Pie
Tuesday: Teriyaki Pork Meatballs with Rice & Corn
Wednesday: Perogie, Sausage & Veg Sheet Pan Dinner
Thursday: Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Bread
Friday: Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard
Saturday: Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
These items are ALWAYS in my pantry or fridge. This tip bares repeating... As soon as I see an item running out it goes on the my shopping list. If they come up on my PC Points list or go on sale, I buy them. We have a second fridge in the garage, so I always have eggs, mayo, soy sauce, etc. on hand. It may take you a while and some money to get this system going but once you do... your wallet will thank you :)
Things I need for this week's menu that I already have in my kitchen (my staple items) are listed below and in red.
Shopping List
3 chicken breasts
1 lb ground beef
1 ring Kielbasa
16-20 frozen perogies
16-20 frozen perogies
6 Italian sausages
2 1/2 onions
7 carrots
7 carrots
½ cup panko
salt & pepper
1 pound pasta
1 can corn
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons beef bouillon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons thyme
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoons tomato paste
9 tablespoons oil
9 tablespoons oil
6 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Tabasco
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
3 1/2 cups + 18 slices cheddar cheese
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
4 cups vegetable broth
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups cups beef broth
5 stalks celery
1 white onion
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
6 green onions
1 red onion
2 bell peppers
2 bell peppers
1 cup basil
1 large head cauliflower
8 white potatoes
1 cup wild rice12 tablespoons butter
2 3/4 cups milk
250 ml heavy cream
1 lb ground pork
6 slices deli ham
Fresh bread
6 croissants
I also bought some lunch items/snacks/stock up: Rice cakes, wine gums, juice, 2 packs of puddings, pack of Jell-O, 2 boxes of granola bars, cookies, 2 bags of Crisper crackers, Ritz, seaweed, unsalted butter, 2 bags of french fries, bananas, strawberries, fresh chicken wings, and a box of honey garlic chicken wings.
Meat
I stock up on meat when it's on sale so I only needed to buy the steak for this week. This is the meat we need at the prices of each.
My Bro gave us the ring of kielbasa from our favourite butcher in Winnipeg. So it was the best price… $0!
I got a package of Italian Sausage last week for $4.99. I didn’t take a picture though.
1 lb ground beef (not extra lean so I'll make sure I drain!)
$14.27 for 4lbs = $3.56/lb
This week I need 1lb of ground beef = $3.56
3 chicken breasts. I bought a package of chicken for $23.52. It got broken up into 3 meals. Each meal = $7.84
Menu $68.78
Lunches & Stock Up $91.08
TOTAL= $176.25
Lunches & Stock Up $91.08
TOTAL= $176.25
$19.63 OVER!!
HOWEVER, Ninja used $50 of points! So we actually spent… $126.25 which left us $30.37 UNDER!!
Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
1 onion, chopped
5 carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup wild rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
8 tablespoons butter (divided)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
3 cups dry day old bread, cubed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When the rice is almost done, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, salt, and poultry seasoning and cook for one minute. Add the milk slowly, whisking to form a thick, creamy sauce.
When the rice is done, remove foil, add raw chicken and creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Arrange the bread in a layer on top.
Turn the heat up to 450 and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and the bread cubes are golden brown. Top with salt, pepper, and parsley.
Traditional Cottage Pie
Adapted from Don’t Go Bacon My Heart
Add oil to a pan and sauté onions, garlic, carrot and mushrooms over medium heat until they begin to soften and brown. Add beef, break it up with wooden spoon and continue to cook until brown all the way through. Pour in wine and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in beef stock, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and salt & pepper, to taste. Simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Boil salted water in a pot and add potatoes. Cook for 15 mins or until soft enough to comfortably slice. Drain (don't rinse) and place back in the pot. Mash or RICE and then add butter, half the cheese, nutmeg and generous helpings of salt & pepper until a smooth texture. Add milk until desired texture. Set aside.
In a baking dish, pour in beef (remove bay leaf), top the beef with mashed potatoes and top with a layer of cheese. Place in the oven for around 30 mins or until golden and crispy on top.
Leave to sit for a few minutes to retain shape and then serve.
Teriyaki Pork Meatballs with Rice and Corn
Adapted from The Almond Eater
1 lb. ground pork
2 tablespoon onion, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped and separated
6 garlic cloves, minced and separated
1 egg
6 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
½ cup panko
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Add ground pork, minced onion, 1 chopped green onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, egg and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to a large bowl and use a spoon or your hands to mix everything together (Don't over mix!). Use your hands to form into meatballs.
Pan fry the meatballs for 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until they're golden on all sides. Then, place the entire skillet into the oven and bake the meatballs for 15-20 minutes, or until they're cooked through.
While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce: whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, syrup, vinegar, ginger, and cornstarch together and set aside.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the oven and place the skillet on the stove over low heat. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, then pour in the sauce and stir so that the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
Garnish meatballs with green onions.
WEDNESDAY:
Perogie, Sausage and Pepper Sheet Pan Dinner
Adapted from Olive and Mango
1 ring Kielbasa sliced into ¼ inch coins
24 frozen perogies
1 red onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Tabasco
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease 1 very large baking sheet.
Place perogies on the sheet pan. Arrange kielbasa slices on the sheet pan. Drizzle everything with a touch more olive oil.
Roasted Garlic Cheddar Cauliflower Soup with Fresh Bread
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets or 1 bag of frozen cauliflower
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 head garlic
1 onion, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Add cauliflower florets to the pan, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper; toss to combine.
While the cauliflower is cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add in diced onion and saute for 5-8 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the onion, roasted cauliflower, squeeze out all the roasted garlic (discard the shells), broth, salt and pepper into a blender or a pot and blend with immersion blender until smooth. Then place the pot over medium heat.
Stir in the heavy cream and bring soup to a light simmer, then stir in the cheddar cheese. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Garnish with green onion. Serve with fresh bread of choice.
Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard
Adapted from Food & Wine
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced basil
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente and then drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add the cream, mustard, and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil, and toss to coat.
In a microwaveable bowl whisk together 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, a few drops of Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes. Repeat until all your eggs are cooked.
Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the microwave and toss with the bread cubes.
When the rice is done, remove foil, add raw chicken and creamy sauce, and stir to combine. Arrange the bread in a layer on top.
MONDAY:
We love cottage pie. We call it shepherd's pie but we don't use lamb so we are misnaming it. If you use ground beef, which we do, it is called cottage pie! Or so I am told 😉. The secret ingredient to this amazing dinner is the beef bouillon! 1 cube of that in there REALLY amps up the flavour and makes this dish sing!
Traditional Cottage Pie
Adapted from Don’t Go Bacon My Heart
1 lb ground beef
2 cups beef stock
1 small glass of red wine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons beef bouillon
1 white onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled & finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups beef stock
1 small glass of red wine
4 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons beef bouillon
1 white onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled & finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon oil
4-6 potatoes, peeled and diced into chunks
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups cheese, grated
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups cheese, grated
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
Add oil to a pan and sauté onions, garlic, carrot and mushrooms over medium heat until they begin to soften and brown. Add beef, break it up with wooden spoon and continue to cook until brown all the way through. Pour in wine and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in beef stock, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and salt & pepper, to taste. Simmer over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375.
In a baking dish, pour in beef (remove bay leaf), top the beef with mashed potatoes and top with a layer of cheese. Place in the oven for around 30 mins or until golden and crispy on top.
TUESDAY:
Pork can be bland, but this sauce is anything but! These teriyaki meatballs made with ground pork and served with rice and corn was super easy to make and can be made in 30 minutes. These meatballs are tender and moist, not dry at all! This was a delicious midweek meal.
Pork can be bland, but this sauce is anything but! These teriyaki meatballs made with ground pork and served with rice and corn was super easy to make and can be made in 30 minutes. These meatballs are tender and moist, not dry at all! This was a delicious midweek meal.
Teriyaki Pork Meatballs with Rice and Corn
Adapted from The Almond Eater
1 lb. ground pork
2 tablespoon onion, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped and separated
6 garlic cloves, minced and separated
1 egg
6 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
½ cup panko
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup rice
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chicken stock
salt
Make Rice.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Make Rice.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Add ground pork, minced onion, 1 chopped green onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic, egg and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to a large bowl and use a spoon or your hands to mix everything together (Don't over mix!). Use your hands to form into meatballs.
While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce: whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, syrup, vinegar, ginger, and cornstarch together and set aside.
Once the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the oven and place the skillet on the stove over low heat. Add the minced garlic to the skillet and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, then pour in the sauce and stir so that the meatballs are coated in the sauce.
Garnish meatballs with green onions.
I grew up eating pergogies. I LOVE perogies. I love them boiled, fried and even baked. Ninja loves them baked! When we were 2 University kids eating at midnight every night, he would bake perogies for us in the toaster oven 😂. Not my favourite but definitely his! This is the easiest dinner ever and NO leftovers, NO clean up and NO complaints! Win, Win, Win, and Win!
Adapted from Olive and Mango
1 ring Kielbasa sliced into ¼ inch coins
24 frozen perogies
1 red onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Tabasco
Preheat oven to 400°F and grease 1 very large baking sheet.
Whisk together the oil, spices and hot sauce in a small bowl and add vegetables. Toss gently to combine, spread into an even layer on one side of the pan.
Place perogies on the sheet pan. Arrange kielbasa slices on the sheet pan. Drizzle everything with a touch more olive oil.
Transfer pan to preheated oven and bake for 28-35 minutes flipping everything halfway through.
THURSDAY:
I keep trying cauliflower soups and my family keeps hating it 😂. Seriously, they hated it. To be fair, my family aren't the biggest cauliflower fans to begin with. I am. I LOVE cauliflower and I LOVED this soup! So did my Dad, who helped me eat the whole pot! 😂 Thanks Dad! I used a bag of frozen cauliflower because it was WAY cheaper, don't forget to check prices and frozen veggies, especially in the winter when fresh produce is out of season and expensive.
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets or 1 bag of frozen cauliflower
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 head garlic
1 onion, diced
4 cups vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup heavy cream
garnish: chopped green onions
Fresh bread
garnish: chopped green onions
Fresh bread
Peel and discard the outer papery layers of the whole garlic head. Leave the skins intact of the individual cloves. Using a sharp knife, cut ¼ inch off from the top of the cloves so that the individual cloves of garlic are exposed. Place garlic in a medium piece of foil and drizzle the top of the garlic with olive oil then loosely wrap in the foil and place on the pan with the cauliflower. Roast cauliflower and garlic for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cauliflower is nice and golden and caramelized.
While the cauliflower is cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add in diced onion and saute for 5-8 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the onion, roasted cauliflower, squeeze out all the roasted garlic (discard the shells), broth, salt and pepper into a blender or a pot and blend with immersion blender until smooth. Then place the pot over medium heat.
FRIDAY:
I LOVE Field & Gold grainy mustard. Well, I LOVE all their mustards but the grainy mustard is especially delicious! I have gifted these bad boys on MANY occasions, they are so good! This pasta dish is simple, so using a good quality mustard, fresh basil and a good dry wine will make this easy and delicious dish, even better! This was a winner!
Adapted from Food & Wine
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced basil
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente and then drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes.
Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Add the cream, mustard, and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil, and toss to coat.
SATURDAY:
You know how much we love breakfast for dinner and I found a new one that we loved! We love egg McMuffins but we aren’t the biggest English muffin fans but croissants I can totally get behind. This is a filling and crazy easy meal that we all loved!
Baked Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
Adapted from Creme De La Crumb
You know how much we love breakfast for dinner and I found a new one that we loved! We love egg McMuffins but we aren’t the biggest English muffin fans but croissants I can totally get behind. This is a filling and crazy easy meal that we all loved!
Baked Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
Adapted from Creme De La Crumb
6 croissants, sliced in half
16-18 slices cheese
6-12 slices deli ham
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
16-18 slices cheese
6-12 slices deli ham
8 eggs
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
10 drops Tabasco Sauce
½ cup cheese, shredded
Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.
½ cup cheese, shredded
Preheat air fryer to 350 degrees.
Arrange bottom half of croissants in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place shredded cheese, 1-2 slices of ham and 1-3 slices of cheese on each croissant.
In a microwaveable bowl whisk together 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, a few drops of Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes. Repeat until all your eggs are cooked.
Top ham and cheese with eggs. Top with second half of the croissant buns. Bake in preheated air fryer for 4 minutes or until cheddar cheese is melty and croissants are toasted.
We prepped for Christmas while HBear spent the day in the garage with her friends having a game day birthday party! On Sunday, we got fully into the swing of things! SBean and Ninja took in the Penticton Santa Claus Parade and light up while HBear enjoyed her Christmas staff Christmas party at Orolo! Oliver is getting into the spirit of things while Ninja put the lights on the tree and enjoyed his first week of festive ales from craft breweries around BC.
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