Warm Winter Meals--by Deborah

As the oldest of my awesome sisters, I get the privilege of the first week of menus. You CAN cut down your grocery budget AND eat tastier food while doing it. One example is making your own tortillas instead of buying them. After eating a homemade tortilla, anything you buy will taste like cardboard, not to mention how much moola you save by making it yourself.

For my menu I will just be listing evening suppers. But, first I would like to briefly touch on breakfast and lunch. FYI--breakfasts and lunches in our house do not have a scheduled day--i.e. pancakes on Wed., Oatmeal on Tues. & Thurs., etc. My kids would eat pancakes every day if they could, but breakfast is definitely not my favorite meal to make. So while we have pancakes at least once a week, we also generally have oatmeal (another favorite), cereal, homemade granola, eggs and toast, biscuits and cheese with oranges (if leftover biscuits from the night before) and bread and milk. Lunches are usually different types of sandwiches, soup, mac and cheese (not very often, but my kids love it!) and leftovers.

So, on to dinners!

Sunday
Baked chicken hindquarters
Rolls
Salad
Corn
Baked Potatoes

Note #1: I like the chicken hindquarters because it is the cheapest meat I can get on a consistent basis-- $.69/lb. usually, cheaper if it is on sale. If anyone can find chicken cheaper--PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!! My family loves chicken, and this is a great way for them to enjoy it at a minimal cost.

Note #2: Rolls--here is a link to my favorite roll recipe: http://lds.org/new-era/2004/11/the-family-secret?lang=eng
It is easy to make and I like how the dough feels. So, here is my tip. I love fresh rolls, maybe a day old, but after that I usually need to turn them into something else so they will get eaten (more about that another time). I also think that the faster I can get the meal fixed the better. To make it so I don't need to make rolls every time I want them, I make a big double batch of dough, cut out the rolls and then flash freeze them. When you flash freeze something, you place it on a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze it for a few hours. I then take my little frozen disks, pop them in a bag and when I need rolls, just pull some out of the freezer, place them in a sprayed pan and then let them raise for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours and then bake as normal. They need to be brushed with melted butter or water to help them raise better.

Monday
Ramen Cabbage Salad

Tuesday
Chicken Noodle Soup
Bread

Note: I used the leftover chicken from Sunday. I also put in lots of carrots and celery to increase veggie intake.

Wednesday
Hamburger Soup

Note: I was definitely in a soup mood this week! I used the leftover cabbage from Monday. For my soup I put in diced tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini (if in season), carrots, hamburger with onions, broth, barley, a little sugar (for the tomatoes), salt and pepper.

Thursday
Leftover soups
Rolls

Note: Leftover nights are the best!

Friday
Tuna Pinwheels
Green Beans

Saturday
Pizza
Carrot Sticks

Note: Saturday is our pizza and movie night. It is so nice having one night of the week where I don't have to come up with something. Since there are so many different types of pizza, and my whole family loves it, it works!

Enjoy! I can't wait to see what Lena has been up to!!!