Monday Night Meal Planning

You might think I am a little goofy doing my meal planning on Monday night, but this post has been sitting in draft for the last two days. That is how I like to roll. The title changed from "Sunday Night" to "Monday Meal Planning" to finally, "Monday Night Meal Planning".

The boys and I have a pretty busy week, filled with arts and crafts, and play dates! We got a lot of snow last night, so I had to save my grocery shopping trip today with the boys. I went through the ads in the Sunday paper during the boys' naps and saw there were a few good coupons to use. If you don't get the Sunday paper, one place you can print coupons from is Smart Source.

Also, Aldi has a wide selection of fruits in this week including our favorites: strawberries and blueberries! I really haven't been splurging on these out of season, more expensive fruits this Winter. We have been sticking to mostly apples, oranges, bananas and some canned fruits, too.

Front page of this Sunday's Aldi ad.

Follow Occupation Housewife on Facebook to see how my meals turn out! Last week's dinner menu's consisted of:

Monday: Bisquick chicken pot pie.
Tuesday: Tator tot casserole with salad.
Wednesday: Crock pot beef stroganoff for daddy. The kids and I had a pizza party at a friends house!
Thursday: Pan fried chicken with cream of mushroom and leftover egg noodles.
Friday: Chipotle before the hockey game.
Saturday: Ate out.
Sunday: Frozen pizza (from the $3.33 Target deal) and spaghetti.

This week, I have a few new recipes I would like to try as well as some new spins on old favorites.



Slim Cheesy Potatoes via The Spotted Lamb

Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joe's via Six Sisters' Stuff

Red Wine Vinegar Salad Dressing via Food.com


This week's dinner menu consists of:
Monday: Vegetarian Chili and sub sandwiches or Hawaiian baked ham sandwiches.
Tuesday: Philly cheese steak sloppy joe's with french fries.
Wednesday: Pizza party night with friends (including fellow blogger from Live the Fancy Life). I won a free pizza from Papa John's during the Super Bowl. We'll see how free it really is!
Thursday: Baked oatmeal casserole for breakfast. NY strips from the freezer, Texas toast and lemon salad for V-day.
Friday: Sliced ham (or I might get a rotisserie chicken from Sam's club) with slim cheesy potatoes.
Saturday: Out to eat night?
Sunday: Pork chops with crock pot red potatoes and red wine vinegar salad.

Tonight, I had a friend from High School over and we caught up over a bowl of veggie chili with cold ham sandwiches on King's Hawaiian buns. I really threw the chili together with my eyes closed but I thought it turned out pretty good for what was in it.

Easy Vegetarian Chili via Two Peas and Their Pod

Easy Veggie Chili inspired by Two Peas and Their Pod

1 28oz can whole tomatoes
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can chili beans with chili sauce
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
2 celery stalks
1 medium sweet onion
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

First, I sauteed the onion and celery in oil until browned over medium-high heat. I then added the peppers and sauteed until tender.

While my veggies were cooking, I turned my crock pot to high and added the canned tomatoes. I crushed them with my hands to break up the big chunks. I then added peppers and all the other ingredients (you already used the oil to saute your veggies).

I added one Tbs. chili powder but I thought it needed a lot more so I added another Tbs. I gave the chili a big stir and let it sit on high for 2-3 hours. I turned the crock pot to low before serving.

I was considering making the popular Hawaiian baked ham sandwiches I found on Pinterest, but I thought the hot chili would be complimented with a cold sandwich instead. I also served dinner with BBQ kettle chips and my friend brought over red velvet cake with creamy frosting. I was a happy lady!

My husband isn't a huge fan of beans but he actually ate my chili and said he liked it! Go, super-wife!

Are you trying anything new this week?