Heather says:

Welcome to week 15 of the weekly menu plan and shopping list journey. Some of you may notice that there are fewer simple carbohydrates on this menu (two notable exceptions). I will be doing my best over the next few weeks to continue adding more vegetables and legume recipes to the site.

Here is the printable -and easily edited- shopping list for this weekly menu, courtesy of SayMmm.com. We are working to compile all of the Home Ec 101 weekly shopping lists into one convenient location. Please bear with us while we get that worked out.

• Monday – Black Bean Soup, Taco Salad -just make a tossed salad, but instead of your usual dressing use salsa and sour cream
• Tuesday – Balsamic Chicken, Wilted Spinach, Oven Roasted Green Beans
• Wednesday – Clean Out Refrigerator Night
• Thursday – Sausage, Peppers, and Onions, Cornbread
• Friday – Lentil Casserole, Roast Broccoli
• Saturday – Country Style Cube Steak, Rice and Peas, Spinach Salad with Pecans
• Sunday - Chili Maple Pork Chops, Asparagus, Lentil Pilaf

If you’re already a menu planning pro, I’d love to hear what you are eating this week. Partly because I love to talk about food and partly because it helps boost my own creativity.  Tell me Home Eccers, what’s on your menu?

Heather says:

Spring is here, despite a rather mean prank by Mother Nature on our North Eastern friends, it is time to start revamping the menu and focusing on spring vegetables and fewer starches. Over on the forums I mentioned that I’m fighting off an emotional funk. One of the signals was I have almost completely abandoned my camera, I have no interest in experimenting in the kitchen. You’ll notice the last recipe I added was on March 4, Country Fried Steak. Last week I focused on getting back into a healthy routine (getting enough sleep, was a big part of that) and this week, I’m going to force myself to do the things I really do enjoy, but have avoided.

In the vegetable crisper I have swiss chard and broccoli rabe, two new-to-me vegetables. Whether or not I “feel like it” I’ll be experimenting and hopefully I’ll get back into my routine of at least one recipe per week. I do miss that. My husband and I are both going to be eating lower carb over the next few weeks, so I’m hoping to get more recipes focused on vegetables posted in the near future. Just as a side note, it’s not the Atkins Diet. Diabetes runs in my family and I’m hoping to not carry on that legacy. I’ll still be making the side dishes for the kids, we’ll just generally stick to the main + extra vegetables. (I don’t feel I owe you guys an explanation of our choices, I’m just trying to be “transparent” and explain why the recipes will probably lean in that direction for the foreseeable future). There will be occasional splurges and treats, don’t worry.

The menu below does not reflect those changes.

Tell me, Home Eccers, what are you having this week?

Here is another week’s menu and printable shopping list courtesy of SayMmm.com.

• Monday – Two Bean Tamale Pie, Tossed Salad
• Tuesday – Jap Chae -Korean beef stir fry -may not be the technical explanation
• Wednesday – Albondigas, Guacamole, Tortilla Chips
• Thursday – Clean Out Refrigerator Night
• Friday – Spanish Baked Cod with Olive Tapenade, Asparagus -broiled instead of grilled, but same concept
• Saturday – Chicken Fingers, Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli with Bell Peppers
• Sunday –  Turkey Cutlets with Onions and Bell Peppers, Rice and Peas (you can certainly substitute chicken breasts if turkey cutlets aren’t available)

Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living is now in bookstores like Barnes and Noble & Books-A-Million.
You can find it in the home reference section.

It is also available on Amazon.

Heather says:

Here’s another week of menus with recipes and a complete shopping list, courtesy of SayMmm.com.

Click for the printable shopping list.

• Monday – Black Bean Burritos, Spanish Rice, Fried Green Corn (use frozen)
• Tuesday – Chili Honey Chicken Thighs, Lentil Pilaf, Roast Broccoli
• Wednesday – Clean Out Refrigerator Night
• Thursday – Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches, Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Friday – Fisherman’s Pie, Wilted Spinach
• Saturday – Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce, roast vegetables, tossed salad
• Sunday – Stewed Chicken, Rice and Peas

Do you menu plan? What are you having for dinner this week?

Do you want to get started with menu planning? If so, I’ve written a four part menu planning primer.

Do you need help getting motivated in other areas? Lately I do, too. Head over to the Home Ec 101 Forums and let’s work our way through this.

Heather says:

As a service to readers of Home Ec 101, I share a complete weekly menu almost every week. I do this in conjunction with the site SayMmm.com which makes the menu plan and grocery list making chore a snap.  Brian Hutchins, the creator, was inspired with the idea after watching his wife go through the weekly hassle of planning their menu. He said there had to be an easier way and soon found there wasn’t; so he created one. Check it out.

Here’s this week’s menu and easily editable and printable shopping list.

• Monday - Fettuccine Alfredo with Steamed Broccoli, Caesar Salad
• Tuesday – Banana Oatmeal Pancakes, Fried Eggs, Bacon, Fresh Fruit
• Wednesday – Albondigas, flour tortillas
• Thursday –  Clean Out Refrigerator Night
• Friday – Pecan Crusted Salmon,  Wilted Spinach, Lentil Pilaf
• Saturday – Oven Fried chicken, Macaroni and Cheese, Collard Greens
• Sunday – Pork Chops with Raspberry sauce, Rice and Peas, Turnips, Carrots and Onions

If you don’t have a food processor or blender, just go ahead and substitute regular buttermilk pancakes, I won’t tell a soul. Heck, I might even invite myself over -now there’s a creepy thought for your Monday morning.

Check out lots of other menus over at OrgJunkie’s Menu Plan Monday.

If you aren’t using the Home Ec 101 weekly menu, feel free to share what you’ll be cooking this week. I really am interested, I’m also an irrepressible grocery cart snoop. It’s kind of what I do. You aren’t surprised are you?

Heather says:

It is so good to be home. I’m ready to get back into the kitchen and work on getting more recipes added to the Home Ec 101 Recipe Collection. I’m also working on a Home Ec 101 Basic Cooking Glossary. The glossary is nowhere near complete, I add to it each time I find myself using a term or technique that may be unfamiliar to new cooks. March 1 is a big day for Home Ec 101, this site will be entering its fourth year and I have a few things planned.

It looks as though Home Ec 101 the book will begin shipping to stores in mid-March. Are you as excited -terrified- as I am? I’m actually only wondering if you’re excited, don’t tell me if you’re terrified. I’m hoping I’m the only one that’s scared.

Here’s hoping I can get everything ready over the next few weeks.

Enough about me. It’s Monday and that means I share a free menu with a complete printable and editable shopping list, courtesy of SayMmm.  Speaking of menus and organization, don’t forget I’m giving away 4 copies of OrgJunkie’s Clutter Rehab and 2 premium memberships to SayMmm.com.

• Monday Lentil Enchiladas, Roast Broccoli - dust w/ chili powder if you want the flavors to meld better.
• Tuesday Beef Pepper Steak over rice noodles, served on a bed of baby spinach
• Wednesday Leek and Potato Soup, Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
• Thursday Leftovers
• Friday Fish and Chips -in the oven- creamy coleslaw
• Saturday Calzones, Caesar Salad
• Sunday Pot Roast with carrots and celery, rice, gravy, broccoli with bell pepper

In general I try to take advantage of seasonal foods, but this week, I cheated a bit and added two salads for some variety. I know for most it’s not in season or local, but who likes a food rut? The menu still takes advantage of: potatoes, leeks, spinach, carrots, and cabbage all of which are winter vegetables, for many parts of the country. I’m sorry New Englanders and Upper Midwesterners, you guys have it rough. Broccoli depending on your area may qualify.

If you don’t use the Home Ec 101 menu, please share what you’re having this week.

Heather says:

February is knocking at the door, what does February mean as far as seasonal eating? Well for the most part we’re still stuck with root vegetables and winter greens. It’s not until March that we begin to see asparagus come into season and then we’ll get hit with an avalanche of fresh foods. I’m very excited, my husband may soon have access to a CSA at his place of employment. Until recently, purchasing a share in a community supported agriculture program wasn’t really feasible due to the logistics. Previously, it was a nice idea, in theory, but practically it was hard to squeeze another 2+ hour chore into an already packed week.

So, what seasonal foods are you using to keep your menus interesting?

This week, thanks to Bran, we’re adding oven-roasted brussels sprouts into the rotation. Ready?

This menu is written for a family of four to six. Just remember that leftovers are either taken to work for lunch or consumed on the week’s Clean Out Refrigerator Night. Most of the spices are used in other recipes on the site, so you don’t actually end up like this XKCD comic.

Here’s the full editable and printable shopping list for your convenience.

• Black Bean Burritos, Spanish Rice, Corn
• Meatloaf, Rice and peas, Roast broccoli
• Fettucine Alfredo, Blackened beef tips, Caesar salad
• Clean Out Refrigerator Night
• Steelhead Trout or Salmon with Honey Glaze, Oven roasted potatoes, and Wilted spinach
• Country Style Cube Steak, Tossed Salad, Peas and Almonds, Macaroni and Cheese -oven baked
• Roast Chicken – Spatchcock Style use this bbq rub, Oven-roasted brussels sprouts, Lentil pilaf

So tell me, Home Eccers? What are you trying this week?

Heather says:

Each week I provide Home Ec 101 with a menu and a shopping list. The menu, as written, is designed to feed 4 – 6 people. Singles and couples can pick and choose 3 – 4 of the 6 meals alternating with leftovers or previously frozen meals. In turn any leftovers should be promptly frozen to provide variety another week.

I don’t pretend to know what you will spend if you try this menu. I can confidently say that it is less than what an average American family spends per week on food. Just having a plan is usually enough for that -well unless your plan is fois gras, caviar, and lion steak-. Almost all of the recipes in the plan are based on a basic pantry that can be stocked through the purchase of loss leaders.

Always shop your pantry / freezer before heading to the store to purchase items being offered at their normal price. If you have chicken thighs in the freezer and the menu below suggests round steak -which isn’t on sale in your area- for chimichangas,  go ahead and swap out the item. In that recipe, all that matters is that there is cooked and shredded meat. Simple substitutions like that will help keep your costs under control.

Home Ec 101 and SayMmm.com’s Printable Grocery List for Week #7. SayMmm.com makes customizing the list very easy. Just click the items you don’t need to take them off of the list or click the items from the pantry side to add them to the list. Once you’ve compared it to what you have on hand, click print and head out the door.

I’m starting to hit a point where I’m tired of winter vegetables, but it’s what we have. So let’s make the best of it, right? There are six meals the seventh is assumed to be  leftovers. Have fun!

Lentil Casserole, Butternut Squash, Peas and Almonds

Chicken Marsala, Wilted Spinach with Garlic, Tossed Salad

Chimichangas, Refried beans, Spanish rice

Salmon with Rosemary and Lemon, Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli

Sloppy Joes, Vegetarian Collard Greens, Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

Stewed Chicken, Rice and Peas, Sweet Cornbread

Tell me, Home Eccers, what’s on your menu this week?

Shared on Menu Plan Monday on OrgJunkie.com.

Heather says:

We all hear that menu planning is the key to getting control of your food budget. However, creating a menu plan can be intimidating and often overwhelming. What if someone did all the work for you? What if a grocery list was just a few clicks away?

Well I have teamed up with SayMmm.com to provide Home Ec 101 readers with just that service. Here is an easily edited printable shopping list for the menu below. All of the recipes and tutorials are linked in the menu, so you should have no problems preparing each meal.

The menu is geared to a family of 4 -6, but smaller families will still find it useful. Freeze leftovers and include an extra leftover night. The menu includes one night to cook leftovers with any other leftovers being consumed as lunch.

1. Chili Honey Chicken Thighs, Wilted Spinach, Scalloped Turnips and Rutabaga
2. Meatloaf, Sauteed Cabbage, Baked Potatoes
3. Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Spinach Feta Salad, a crusty loaf of bread
4. Clean Out Refrigerator Night
5. Sausage, Peppers, and Onions, Roasted Potatoes
6. Cheeseburger Macaroni, Roasted broccoli
7. Chicken Peppers and Mushrooms, Collard Greens and Northern Beans, Cornbread

While I try to eat seasonally, I’m aware that bell peppers are not in season. There are still a good portion of the vegetables in this menu that take advantage of seasonal availability.

If you’re trying to get started with menu planning I highly suggest you scroll to the bottom of the page and select the How to Menu Plan option.

What are you having for dinner this week?

Heather says:

Here we are, week 5 of winter vegetables. This week I cheated a little and reached into the frozen vegetables, just to make sure there was more green on our plates. The whites and yellows can get old pretty quickly.

I was recently asked how much our family spends on groceries, the short answer is we spend about $140 a week for 5 – 6 people. Yes, there are families that do significantly better or worse than our average. We’re at a place where I’m happy with the balance of effort, time, and return. If you’re utilizing the menu plan, you may find your grocery bill is a little higher for a few weeks until your pantry is stocked. You’ll notice, if you look back over the past few weeks, that many of the ingredients are used over and over. I rely on seasonal vegetables to keep a wide variety in our menu.

I’ve teamed up with SayMmm.com to provide Home Ec 101 readers with a printable shopping list. Don’t worry, the list is easily editable. Go ahead and take a look at this week’s printable grocery list.

What’s on the menu?

Submitted to Orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday.