Menu Planning, Dinner

  This can take me anywhere from 1-3 hours depending on how much I'm interrupted and how many cookbooks I pull out.  I try to stick with just 4 cookbooks.  This time I looked through 4 plus my binder of printed/pulled out recipes.  I also try to make at least 1 meal a week that is health diet specific, as in the Ornish Diet, Dr. Fuhrman, or the TLC diet.  Since the heart scare and with DH having high cholesterol to boot, I try to keep things in check as much as he lets me.  They all have some pretty good recipes, but use very little salt.  I certainly fudge when making and add salt.  I can't do no salt.  I've restricted his intake a lot, and his blood pressure is fine.  I make these choices based on overall heart health and cholesterol health.  All three are good diets and while Ornish can be super pricey, it doesn't have to be.  I skipped one week this month because we cleaned pantry - one of the reasons I'm under budget I'm sure, but you're about to see how crazy under budget I am.

April
12 - Burritos (subbed for steak since under budget and DH and the boy had been asking so much)
13 - Nell's Southern Eggplant Dressing (sans eggs, I used it as a side dish), Ornish
14 - Eggplant Cannelloni with Pine Nut Romesco Sauce, Fuhrman

eggplant cannelloni, too spicy for the boy and next time a different grain.  I blended up the eggplant and made them bowls instead since they don't like eggplant.

15 - Thai Yellow Curry, binder (changed out for Jamie Oliver's Jalfrezi)

scented basmati: bay leaves, cardmom pod, whole allspice 

jalfreizi with california veggies and chickpeas.  DH and I liked it, boy thought it was too spicy without the chilies.

16 - Leftovers
17 - out
18 - Pizza
19 - Baked Chimichangas, binder (they lie, this makes about 19.  I make 2 without rice for the boy)
20 - Sloppy Janes, binder (not the right recipe, but darn close and I may use this one instead)
21 - Simple Italian Sausages and pasta, binder (these make great sandwiches too if you slice and pan fry them)
22 - Panzanella, Klein
23 - Leftovers
24 - out
25 - Pizza
26 - Burritos, I just know these.  I'll share the recipes later.
27 - Mushroom Stroganoff, kale, noodles; Fuhrman
28 - Spaghetti Marinara, I just know.  I'll share the recipe later.
29 - Spicy Thai Braised Kale and Tofu, Fuhrman
30 - Leftovers

I keep vegetable scraps and veggies past their prime in the freezer, when I get enough, I make a batch of veggie broth.

  We have decided to be out of town from the 17 - 20.  All of the things for these meals can be stored until next month.  If that were not the case, I would simply change a few meals around to be able to have that ability.  They will reappear next month instead.  Obviously I care nothing about doing an Easter meal.  We absolutely celebrate the commercialism that is Easter and it makes me crazy.  I make my son do Lent, "If you want to enjoy the awesomeness that is Easter and Christmas, you have to suffer the suck of Lent."  I let us all off the hook this year because, well, pregnancy brain and I couldn't keep it together!  So total on dinners was $99.07.
  Ok, so pizza isn't high on the healthy list.  Well, you can make it much better with a number of things.  For starters, make it yourself.  Dough is quite simple, I double the recipe for 3 pizzas.  Substitute 1/3 white flour with whole wheat flour, I don't even have white sugar in my house so I can assure you that raw sugar works just fine in this.  I also use safflower or extra virgin olive oil in place of vegetable oil.  Then the cheese, veggies, and meats are all as healthy as you choose.
  Tentatively I'm at $204.09 for 3 weeks of meals.  Up next is cleaning, because that is part of my grocery budget.  I reigned it in more than normal because this month I happened to need to do almost 3 full weeks of meals on one paycheck because of dates/the bank we use pays us early.  If you're military you understand that this happens sometimes.  The bank paid us the 11th because of the weekend, it won't be until 18 days after that we get another check.  No big deal when you figure out budgeting, have a few cheap meals, and keep some staples in your pantry at all times.  Eating out does not figure into our grocery budget.  It goes into our entertainment budget.