How to Feed You and Your Mate on Less than $40/Week

Believe it or not, you can feed both you and your honey for under $40 a week. The following is a menu planned around a roast chicken and a pork tenderloin. With the addition of a few simple ingredients, you are sure to be surprised how many varied and exciting dishes you will be able to create. Leftovers make great lunches too, so be sure to take advantage of the great next day options you can make with these ingredients.

One thing to remember: do not forget to store your meats and other partially used ingredients appropriately, so as to prevent spoilage. These foods need only last you one week, so food storage containers and Ziploc bags should serve you fine.

That said, here’s a menu of 8 dinner entrées, plus some lunch suggestions, that are sure to please you, your significant other, and your palate.

Sunday – Roasted Chicken with Baked Potatoes and Green Beans

It’s your day off… so do some cooking! Oven roast your chicken for the appropriate time, based on the size bird you bought. Tuck the wings and drums into the body of the bird, and roast in a pan at 450 degrees for 10 minutes per pound. Cover with foil half way through. Bake or microwave potatoes until tender. Sauté green beans in a pat of butter. Top potatoes with shredded cheese while still warm. Prepare gravy and serve. Wrap leftover chicken in foil and refrigerate or freeze.

Additions: Add some slivered almonds to the green beans while sautéing. Top potatoes with butter, sour cream, garlic salt, or anything else you prefer. Stuff herbs, lemon slices, or any other aromatics under the skin of the chicken prior to cooking.

Monday: Chicken Quesadillas

Shred ½ cup of leftover chicken. Slice and dice one-third of the zucchini. Slice up several mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms, chicken and zucchini in a pan with ¼ can of corn, drained. Remove from heat. Place one tortilla in a pan on medium heat. Sprinkle shredded cheese over tortilla to cover. Let melt slightly and add ingredients. Place another tortilla on top. Cook for one minute and then flip over and cook on other side. Repeat to prepare a second quesadilla. Garnish with salsa, sour cream, or other condiments of choice.

Additions: Add jarred jalapenos, olives, or any other ingredients of your liking.

Tuesday: Pork Stir Fry

Cook entire pork tenderloin according to instructions. Cut off ½ pound of the cooked pork and dice. Wrap remaining loin in foil and refrigerate. Prepare minute rice according to instructions. Sauté frozen bag of stir fry veggies until thawed. Add diced pork. Season as you choose. Serve pork and vegetables over rice.

Additions: Use soy or teriyaki sauce to season stir fry. Or add ½ cup peanut butter to stir fry while sautéing and one teaspoon red chili flakes.

Wednesday: Flatbread Pizzas

Slice both sausages and several mushrooms and sauté together with 1/8 cup diced green pepper in a saucepan until sausage is cooked. Place two tortillas on a baking sheet. Broil for two minutes and remove from oven. Spoon tomato sauce on tortillas and spread evenly. Add cheese liberally, and then top with sausage, setting aside 2/3 of sausage in a sealed container for other meals, and mushrooms slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

Additions: If you have other types of cheese in your fridge, experiment with those. Onions, olives, or other veggies would also make good toppings.

Thursday: BBQ Pork Sandwiches and Pasta Salad

Cook 6 oz pasta until al dente. Add ½ cup light mayo, ¼ can of corn, 1/8 cup diced green pepper, a sprinkle of cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Shred or dice ½ pound of the leftover pork loin. Heat over medium until thoroughly warmed. Add your favorite barbeque sauce to coat. Halve and toast two ciabatta rolls and spoon pork mixture onto rolls. Serve with pasta salad.

Additions: Grilled onions, jalepenos, or pickles all will jazz up these pork sandwiches nicely.

Friday: Jambalaya

Cook 2 servings of rice according to package instructions, substituting 1 cup of water with 1 ½ cup of Spanish-style tomato sauce. Dice vegetables (green peppers, tomatoes, zucchini) of choice and sauté with handful of sausage, 4 oz pork, and 4oz chicken, all diced. Add mixture to rice and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.

Saturday: Spaghetti

Cook 10 oz. pasta until al dente. Stir in remaining sausage slices, sliced mushrooms, and tomato sauce. Take one-half ciabatta roll, brush with olive oil, season with garlic salt, and broil for one minute. Cut in half and serve with pasta.

Additions: Any leftover green pepper, diced tomatoes or other veggies to your liking.

Sunday: Stew

Cook remaining chicken whole in 1 1/2 quarts water for 6 hours. Remove bones from broth. Add remaining pork and sausage, if any, and veggies. Dice one potato and add to broth. Add 1 cup pasta or rice, whichever you prefer. Cook on high for 2 hours. Take last half ciabatta roll and broil for one minute. Sprinkle with cheese and broil for one minute more. Garnish each bowl of stew with cheesy bread.

Lunch Suggestions:

Chicken Salad Wrap

Take shredded chicken and mix with light mayo and season to taste. Add nuts or dried fruit to chicken salad if you like. Spoon into a tortilla and wrap tortilla like a burrito. Wrap in cellophane and refrigerate until the next day.

BBQ Pork Wrap

Dice pork and season with bbq sauce. Spoon into a tortilla and wrap tortilla like a burrito. Wrap in cellophane and refrigerate until the next day.

Chicken Taco

Simmer shredded chicken in remaining Spanish-style tomato sauce. Serve over lettuce or in tortilla and top with shredded cheese, corn, and chosen condiments. Store in a sealed container until lunch time.

Grocery List (all items on list bought on Peapod)

Item Size Qty Item Price Total Price

Produce Stand

Mushrooms, White Whole 8 OZ PKG 1 1.99 1.99

Peppers Bell Green 1 EA 1 0.79 0.79

Vidalia Onion 1 EA 1 0.59 0.59

Potatoes, Baking 1 EA 3 0.49 1.47

Squash Zucchini 1 EA 1 0.69 0.69

Tomatoes Plum Roma 1 EA 2 0.33 0.66

Meat & Seafood

Perdue Chicken Breast Oven Stuffer Roaster APX 2.7 LB 1 5.47 5.47

Pork Roast Loin Center Cut APX 2.0 LB 1 5.98 5.98

Sausage Chorizo Mexican - 2 ct 15 OZ PKG 1 2.99 2.99

Dairy

Borden Cheese Mexican Blend Finely Shredded 8 OZ BAG 1 2.25 2.25

Frozen Foods

Countrys Delight Vegetables Oriental Style 16 OZ BAG 1 1.99 1.99

Bread & Bakeshop

Azteca Tortillas Flour Homestyle - 10 ct 11.6 OZ PKG 1 1.52 1.52

Cuisine de France Rolls Ciabatta Square - 4 ct 18 OZ PKG 1 2.59 2.59

Grains, Pasta & Side Dishes

Barilla Pasta Penne Rigate 16 OZ BOX 1 1.39 1.39

Kraft Minute Rice Instant Premium Long Grain 14 OZ BOX 1 2.59 2.59

Newman's Own Pasta Sauce Sockarooni 26 OZ JAR 1 2.99 2.99

Soups & Canned Goods

Countrys Delight Corn No Salt Added 15.2 OZ CAN 1 0.79 0.79

Countrys Delight Green Beans French Style 14.5 OZ CAN 1 0.79 0.79

Goya Tomato Sauce Spanish Style 8 OZ CAN 1 0.39 0.39

Sauces, Spices & Seasonings

McCormick Gravy Mix Chicken .87 OZ PKT 1 0.99 0.99

Subtotal:

$38.91

Tax:

$0.54

$39.45