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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 9:53am | IP Logged
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I am working on my fall/back to school menu plans. A few years ago I was really organized and had a 3 week meal rotation with shopping lists. I had snacks listed and also had treats planned for baptism days, saint name days, feast days. I remember that life was much easier and our budget was well managed.
So...I am trying to do it again. It is hard to satisfy all the conditions of healthy and easy and budget friendly. And to be able to plan shopping and cooking the meals so that I can teach several, take kids to outside classes and activities, not spend a lot of time cooking on Sundays etc etc I also try to have some freezer meals and soups in case sickness hits.
Another thing I am working on is not having meals that require too much clean up during school hours - my big helper dd is leaving for college, and some of her brothers sometimes dwaddle a bit with clean up and I don't want wasted time.
Please share your ideas for easy, healthy and frugal.
I find that SIMPLE works best for us. I keep the breakfasts and lunches the same week to week. eg Monday Oatmeal and smoothies, Tuesday - scrambled eggs etc etc. I like to have a bit more variety for evening meals - eg a couple of chicken alternatives on one day, veggie alternative on another.
I am also working on cooking once for several meals. I don't have the time to do once a month cooking etc, but I am looking more at meals such as roasting a couple of chickens and using them for more than one meal. Or doubling up on something and freezing it.
One last thing - I am trying to use seasonal produce if possible. For us fall means a lot of pumpkin bread, apple recipes, etc
Thanks for any ideas.
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 11:29am | IP Logged
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Can't wait to see your replies Marilyn. I had used a four week menu for quite a while, with shopping lists, and I agree that it really helps the budget.
If only my kids could stop eating lunch! I despise the lunch routine- it always seems like we just cleaned up from breakfast, are looking towards dinner, and bam lunch needs to happen for four kids, three of whom are not sandwich eaters! 
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 11:33am | IP Logged
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Serial posting here! I don't know if this would be helpful but here goes!
One thing we did for years, and are getting back to, is having a theme for each day of the week. For a while that looked like:
~Monday: soup
~Tuesday: casserole
~Wednesday: bean meal
~Thursday: pasta
~Friday: lentil meal
~Saturday: pizza
~Sunday: meat centered meal
(Note: we are Orthodox so we don't eat meat on Wed. and Fri.- but even before we converted we had at least 2 bean/lentil days as we prefer this and it is very good for the budget).
With this routine there was still lots of room for creativity but it had some boundaries...
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Bridget
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I posted my fall menu here. It is not all that easy, it is an attempt to be nutritious and super frugal. It's a tight menu but there will be some variation for birthdays and social gatherings. No one ever died of food boredom.
I made the yogurt and sourdough bread this week. Yum. I have 2 more weeks till we start school to make my kitchen routine work! 
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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Bridget
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 4:54pm | IP Logged
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Marilyn,and anyone else who is willing to share, will you post your menu when you get it worked up? Good list Kristie! will you post your favorite bean or lentil recipes?
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 5:19pm | IP Logged
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OK - I have not done this year's planning yet - but I found menu plans for prior years on my neglected blog:
Fall 2010 Menus
Fall 2009 menu plan
Fall 2008 menus
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Bridget
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Yay!! 
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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Bridget
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 5:22pm | IP Logged
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Marilyn, I can't access the '09 and '08 menus but the '10 opened up.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 5:22pm | IP Logged
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I wanted to add that one thing I have done over the last couple of years, which has been a lifesaver, is to have a separate meal plan for the Advent/Christmas Seasons and the Lent/Easter seasons. I keep these in a day by day plan which has prayers, books to read, activities etc - and just helps me simplify the season and live the liturgical year. My kids also love the traditions - "oh we always eat that on the feast of Saint Nicholas." and "in Lent we always go to daily noon Mass and have homemade bread and soup after" etc etc
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 5:28pm | IP Logged
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Bridget wrote:
| Marilyn, I can't access the '09 and '08 menus but the '10 opened up. |
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Hmm - I wonder why Bridget. I tried it and got in and then realized it was because I was still logged into google. I am not sure what to do - they are all set up the same way...I don't even have the original word documents to send you - I saved them as google docs and put them on my blog. I'll try to play with them..
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 5:38pm | IP Logged
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OK - I think they work now. I obviously have not blogged in ages - google docs is now google drive?!
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 16 2013 at 5:43pm | IP Logged
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Bridget - how did your sourdough bread work? I love sourdough - but it always is so much work. I have some quicker recipes - but no matter how much bread I make, it just never seems to last in our house! I will post some links later to the recipes I use for dinner rolls, soft wheat bread etc
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Bridget
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Sourdough turned out well. It's not hard, just a few extra steps. It does have a good tang so it will be yummy with soup or as toast, but one of my bread days I'll make regular sandwich or artisan bread.
Yup, bread goes fast I have to freeze some right away or the plan falls apart. 
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kristacecilia
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| Posted: Aug 17 2013 at 5:40am | IP Logged
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I'm just commenting so I can follow this thread. I am in the exact same boat, meal planning- four week rotation, etc. Thank you for all the ideas, ladies.
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Krista
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kristacecilia
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Here are some recipes I am looking at for fall:
Dinners:
Roasted Vegetable and Sausage Casserole
Vegetable soups with homemade bread
Meatloaf
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Grilled Steak
Herb Roasted Chicken
Homemade Pizza
BBQ Meatballs and Homemade Mac n Cheese
Pulled Pork
Chicken and Cheese Souffle (great to use up some leftover roast chicken)
Sides:
Seasonal Vegetables
BLT Pasta Salad
Easy Potato Salad
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Casserole
Lunches:
Leftovers from dinner
PBJ
Egg Salad
(need more ideas!)
Breakfast
Soaked Oatmeal porridge (with variations like pumpkin spice, etc)
Scrambled Eggs with muffins (emphasizing apple, zucchini, pumpkin and other seasonal offerings)
Breakfast Pitas with PB, fruit, and yogurt
Baked Oatmeal
Baked Apples (in the crockpot overnight?) with yogurt
Fried Eggs with Sausage or Bacon
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Krista
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I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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Kristie 4
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I haven't had a moment to post the recipes- I will get here soon!
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Kristie in Canada
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Aug 21 2013 at 9:55am | IP Logged
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OK I have my plan finally. I am having trouble attaching a schedule so here is a summary:
breakfasts:
Oatmeal and smoothies
Turkey-bacon egg bake (super easy - line muffin pans with a piece of bacon, break in an egg and bake - voilą)
Baked quick bread/muffin - pumpkin or banana or apple
Scrambled eggs
Homemade granola and smoothies
Overnight high protein crockpot casserole (for soccer Saturdays) and pancakes or waffles with omelets (Sunday brunch)
Lunch
Baked potatoes
Rolls with cheese and fruit (out of the house days)
Canned salmon melts
Quesadillas
Homemade bread and soup
grilled cheese
Dinners
Ground beef and black bean burritos
chicken sausage peppers and pasta supper
Quinoa and black beans or black beans and rice
Quick homemade rolls with sloppy joes
Potato quiche
Canned salmon with rice
Juicy roast chicken and potatoes
Easy and nutritious and frugal fried rice with leftovers
Turkey bacon macaroni casserole
Snacks
air popped popcorn
fruit
granola bar
yogurt
homemade trail mix
cheese
special liturgical feast day baked goods
Curried chicken and rice
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Aagot
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Marilyn,
Please tell me about your overnight protein casserole.
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MarilynW
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Aagot wrote:
Marilyn,
Please tell me about your overnight protein casserole.
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Ingredients
frozen, freeze dried (reconstituted) or freshly shredded has brown potatoes - about 2 pounds
1 pound of aidells pre-cooked chicken sausage - we use apple chicken sausage
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced (optional) or mixed frozen sliced potatoes from TJ's
1.5 cups of shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 cup wholemilk
salt and pepper to tast
Spray the inside of crockpot. Put the potatoes in the pot. Mix up all the otehr ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour them over the hashbrowns. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
It is ready early so that the 5 soccer players and coach dad can have a good breakfast before they leave.
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MelissaClaire
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| Posted: Aug 21 2013 at 5:17pm | IP Logged
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Marilyn--can you please post your quick rolls recipe that you listed with the sloppy joes?
I found these 30 minute rollslast night and tried them with our sloppy joes and they got rave reviews. It might have taken a bit over 30 minutes, but I wasn't really paying attention. I just flattened the balls on a cookie sheet before rising and got 13 buns.
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Fall Menus - Healthy, Easy,Frugal
