Cooking From Your Pantry | Menu Plan Ideas, Freezer Meals and Simple Recipes Week 1 of 52

This year I’m going to do things a little differently in regards to my weekly menu plan suggestions. This may not be the best starting point seeing how I just went shopping at Costco and stocked up on a lot of essential items {thanks to a generous $200 Costco gift card my parents gave me for Christmas} but you’ve got to start somewhere, right?

Basically my goal this past week was to use up as many holiday leftovers as I could. I hate food waste, and since I don’t like throwing anything out, we ate a boatload of desserts {leftover from my parents Christmas party} and made several ham dishes {mostly soups and in egg scrambles} using just a few simple staples from my pantry.

One Hundred Dollars a Month reader Mere left me a great comment a few days ago…

I began following you when I lived in Arizona. How lucky I was to get transferred to the same area! It has been so helpful to a newbie gardener like me. I can’t tell you how many times I would have a question about when to harvest this or grow that, and your post would show up in my email! Love your writing style and well rounded feel to the blog.

The only thing I have longed for is to know what you actually serve for dinner. I look at your shopping trip posts and can’t seem to make a meal out of it. As someone trying to get out of processed foods, something I was raised on, I would love to know what you eat. Thank you Mavis, for all your hard work! ~Mere

I LOVED her comment!

So my goal this year is to give you a better picture of what I not only buy at the store each week, but to show you how I am using those ingredients in our daily meals as well. I can’t promise you these posts will be super exciting, but who knows, maybe you’ll learn a cool tip or two along the way. Or at the very least, understand why this crazy method of {not} meal planning works for me and my family.

How does that sound?

Some of the things I am thinking about making for next week are:

Breakfast Ideas

Egg and Cheese Muffins – These are a perfect option for quick and easy make head breakfast on the go.  {Pin for Later}

Cranberry Coconut Breakfast Cookies – I am a huge fan of grab and go breakfasts during the week.  With a million different schedules and to-do’s, it’s just easier.  {Pin for Later}

Dutch Breakfast Puff – This is an awesome weekend treat, and best of all, it’s made entirely out of staple ingredients, so odds are, you won’t have to run to the store. {Pin for Later}

Lunch Ideas and Dinner Ideas

Southwest Chicken Chili – If you plan on hosting any football get-togethers, this chili is the perfect menu item.  {Pin for Later}

Cream Broccoli and Spinach Pasta Salad – I must be craving carbs because everything pasta is sounding good.  Since spinach and broccoli are in season, it’s a great time to make this dish.  {Pin for Later}

Curry Chicken and Rice – Every time I make this recipe, I wonder why I don’t make more curry recipes. It’s such a unique flavor and I always forget how awesome it is.  {Pin for Later}

Sausage Lentil Soup – This soup rocks.  Eat it up before it gets too hot outside! {Pin for Later}

Sweet Treats 

Whole Grain Raspberry Bars – Raise your hand if you still have raspberries from last summer sitting in your freezer? I’m totally guilty! These are a great way to use them up.  {Pin for Later}

Peanut Butter Protein Balls – If you haven’t tried these yet, stop everything and make them.  They are one of my favorite snacks to have on hand when I need to run out the door, and a grab and go snack that will stick with me is in order.  {Pin for Later}

Dehydrated Canned Pineapple – According to the HH, these are impossible not to eat in one sitting. I couldn’t agree more. {Pin for Later}

Featured Freezer Meal Recipe – Ground Beef Freezer Meal – Taco Casserole. This recipe is awesome. You should go make it. But not if you have a Monkey Boy who will then beg you for endless amounts of Doritos so he can dip them in this meaty, cheesy casserole of awesomeness. Get the recipe for Ground Beef Freezer Meal Taco Casserole HERE or Pin it for Later.

Featured Canning Recipe – Blood Orange Marmalade. I love everything about it–the marmalade, the color, everything.  The citrus in the blood oranges requires an extra step, but it’s totally worth it. Get the recipe for Blood Orange Marmalade HERE or Pin it for Later.

What are YOU planning on making this week?

~Mavis

Find more recipes on One Hundred Dollars a Month as well as on my Pinterest Recipe Boards.