June 26, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 06.27.21

There’s a lot going crazy, but we’re addressing one thing we can do something about in the Weekly Menu 06.27.21!

The Weekly Menu 06.27.21 addresses how ridiculously pricey MEAT has gotten! If you’re anything like us, you’re experiencing some sticker shock at the grocery store lately. When you’re feeding a family, the cost of meat adds a huge chunk of cost to the grocery buggy. Did you see what I did there? “Grocery Buggy” is a Pittsburgh term. Bert is from the ‘Burgh, although he doesn’t have the accent, sadly.

Anywho, we’re taking steps to control costs throughout our Weekly Menu 06.27.21, starting with our appetizer on Sunday. Crab has been super pricey for quite a while. (Totally understandable, too. Have you seen Deadliest Catch?) We’re using a can of crab, maybe two – we tend to splurge a bit on Sundays. It can be found in the same aisle as the tuna. This crab isn’t something you’d serve on top of a salad, but it works great mixed with a bit of rice and seasonings for Crab Balls. Or mixed into a spicy cheese sauce for a hot dip. Yum.

The Grilled Jambalaya includes sausage, and we’ll lean heavily into that for dinner. Baby Boy and I are the only two that like shrimp, so we’ll pick some up, but not much. I love the grilled veggies that are part of this recipe.

What is “Surprise Cake” you ask?

I’m sure you would have asked had you peeked ahead to the menu. We all love cake for dessert after Sunday dinner. But we hardly ever actually finish said cake. So I give it a couple of days then wrap the leftover cake in plastic wrap and foil, and pop it into the freezer. If I was organized, I’d probably label them, but that’s above my pay grade. So we have multiple half cakes in the freezer. A Carrot Cake from Easter. An Italian Cream Cake from some Italian feast. And a bakery cake from a party. And that’s just to name a few. Bert is going to carefully weigh each one and pick out one to let thaw for din-din. If that’s not cheap eats, I don’t know what is.

Following along with our cost cutting measures, we’re going both meatless, and less meaty. How better to control the cost of meat than to skip it entirely? We’re going with a southwest take on a soup and sandwich meal on Tuesday with Mexican Corn Chowder and veggie quesadillas. The black beans in the quesadillas are an excellent sub for meat. We’ll probably not even miss it!

On Wednesday, the OG Baby boy is making what has become one of his signature dishes – Spaghetti Carbonara. Even Bert, who is not the biggest pasta fan, enjoys this meal. It’s fast, it’s hearty, and it only uses a pound of bacon (along with eggs – don’t tell D) to make it so.

Sandwiches are a great meat-extender too.

Plus, during the summer they are an easy go-to for those busy evenings we all have trying to squeeze every bit out of the fabulous weather. Both Sloppy Joes and Chicken Salad can be made in advance and warmed up or cooled down (depending) prior to eating. Perfect! Get out the crock pot (affiliate links follow – see Disclaimer Page for details)! On Thursday, we’ll use two. An 8 quart crockpot for the spuds, and a smaller, 4 quart crockpot to keep the Sloppy Joes warm while it waits for us.

Friday, the Chicken Rice Soup (made from stock we created when we cooked the chicken for the chicken salad) hangs out in the smaller crockpot while we happy hour. The kitchen stays cool, and the soup stays hot!

WEEKLY MENU 06.27.21

The Remoulade Sauce is from Sunday Supper Movement. The Loaded Mashed Potatoes Meatloaf Casserole is via Dinner then Dessert. The Southwest Veggie Quesadillas were found at Gimme Delicious. Our favorite Spaghetti Carbonara is from The Stay at Home Chef. The Slow Cooker Ranch Potatoes are by The Recipe Pot. Alice Walters’ Carrot Salad recipe is from Pinterest.