Week's meal plan, September 27, 2013

Last week's meal plan went fine. Mr. B and Baby B loved the corn fritters. The black bean burgers weren't particularly exciting, so in my quest for the perfect veggie burger, I'm going to try another recipe this week. I've had some lovely veggie burgers in restaurants, but have yet to find a really good recipe, one that tastes good, has a pleasant texture, and doesn't send my blood sugar into outer space.

This week, I was taking stock of the ingredients I already had in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, and realized that I had enough food to make masses of meals without even going shopping. So I decided to use up some of them, and spend my grocery money on some things that were possibly a little more luxurious than what I normally get, just for fun. Not super economical, but sometimes a girl yearns for a sundried tomato and a bit of feta.

Contents of my pantry:

• 1 15-oz can Alaska sockeye salmon
• whole wheat rotini
• pinto beans
• black beans
• whole wheat breadcrumbs
• brown basmati rice
• white flour
• whole wheat flour
• rice noodles
• polenta

Contents of my freezer:

• 1 large chicken breast
• half a bag of green beans
• half a bag of peas
• 1/4 bag of corn
• small quantities of frozen fruits: mangoes, cherries, bananas

Contents of my refrigerator:

• 1 loaf whole wheat bread
• Half a jar of peanut butter
• various condiments: mayonnaise, soy sauce, fish sauce, etc
• eggs

So I decided to make the following recipes:

1. Roast chicken with sides of black beans and brown basmati rice, side salad
2. Rotini with leftover chicken, broccoli, sundried tomatoes and Asiago (from the Cook's Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipes), side of peas and green beans
3. Veggie burgers with homemade whole wheat buns, with mayonnaise/tomatoes/spinach/etc
4. Salmon cakes with red peppers, green chiles, scallions, cilantro, and lime juice (also from Cook's Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipes) with a side of cheesy polenta and a side salad
5. Some kind of stir-fry with sauteed chicken breast, rice noodles, spinach, peanuts, carrots, scallions, various stir-fry sauces (I seldom use a recipe for this kind of thing, it's more of an improvisation)
6. Linguine with red cabbage and feta, side salad
7. Leftovers (we always seem to have lots)

Lunches:

• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Raw vegetable sticks
• Boiled eggs
• Fruit

Snacks:

• string cheese
• fruit

Breakfasts:

• Steel cut oats with yogurt and frozen berries
• eggs on toast

Desserts:

• fruit "ice cream"

I spent $58.03.

Groceries:

Dairy:

1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk: 6.68

Nancy's low-fat yogurt: 2.43

Asiago (cheaper than parmesan and does the same sort of thing): 1.48

Sargento reduced fat Mexican shredded cheese: 2.68

Frigo reduced fat string cheese: 2.48

Athenos crumbled feta cheese: 4.78

Eggs: 1.30

Fruit and vegetables:

Frozen mixed berries: 1.88

sundried tomatoes: 2.88

broccoli: 2.02

1 red bell pepper: 0.88

1 head garlic: 0.38

10 oz spinach: 1.38

3 lbs nectarines: 2.96

3 lbs gala apples: 2.67

red onions: 2.19

3 lbs tomatoes: 2.98

5 limes: 1.25

scallions: 0.58

1 red cabbage: 1.47

2 lbs carrots: 0.98

1 head celery: 1.51

Bulk:

steel cut oats: 0.68

bulgur wheat: 0.29

brown sugar: 0.13

1 lb linguine: 0.93

unsalted peanuts: 0.30

Meat:
1 whole chicken: 7.72