How’s your week shaping up? Mine looks to be pretty dang busy here at the Frugal Upstate Village Homestead. But that’s ok–having a meal plan takes a bit of the chaos out of my week by helping me avoid the last minute “What the heck am I going to make for dinner” angst.
These are the considerations for this week:
1. My schedule is the one that’s super chaotic this week. I’ll be teaching canning classes for the Cooperative Extension from noon to 9pm on Tuesday (ugh, long day), have my guitar lesson Wednesday and am meeting with the accountant to fix my online bookkeeping on Thursday, then on Saturday have a conference down in Pennsylvania. Ack. That’s 3 days where supper needs to be not so complex so it gets on the table for everyone despite my being gone or away for part of the day. On top of that we’ve got the regular round of Boy Scouts, volleyball, golf, piano lessons, pool night & evening veterans meeting for hubs, a Boy Scout campout over the weekend, and of course Church on Sunday. Yeah. Busy week.
2. In the fridge I have: ham, ham broth, polenta (in a loaf pan), leftover noodles, Fire and Ice Salad, cucumbers, garlic, biscuits, carrots, peach juice, squash and tomatoes. In the freezers I have plenty of frozen venison and pork. I’ve got to head over to my moms to see what I’ve got for beef in her freezer (yes, I’ve got meat in freezers in 3 different houses–that’s what happens when you buy a full pig, have a hubs who gets a couple deer and take over a year to work through 1/4 of a steer.)
3. In the garden there are more squash, a few cucumbers, chard, kale, broccoli leaves (I don’t think I have more florets yet) beans, and radishes (maybe, I have to go look).
Taking all that into account here is my game plan:
Monday: Old Fashioned Salmon Loaf, Rice and Sauteed Green Beans
I didn’t get the Old Fashioned Salmon Loaf made over the weekend. I was busy canning and just wound up using some leftover ham and greens tossed in with a jar of store bought Alfredo sauce and some noodles. But I have a hankering for it after putting it on the meal plan for last week, so I’ll go ahead and have it tonight along with rice and sauteed green beans.
This is my fish meal for the week.
Tuesday: Slow Cooker Ham and Scalloped Potates with Fire and Ice Salad
I’m gone all afternoon and evening on Tuesday teaching a class for the Cornell Cooperative Extension on pressure canning vegetables, so I need something that can be cooking and the family can serve themselves while I’m gone. A slow cooker meal fits the bill. Since I’ve got leftover ham to use up, I figured this would work well. The Fire and Ice Salad (marinated cucumbers, tomatoes and onions) is already made in a jar in the fridge, so it’s just a pop it open and serve kind of thing.
This is my pork meal for the week.
Wednesday: Chicken and Gravy over Biscuits with Sauteed Squash and Cucumber
I’ve already got the biscuits, and “meat in gravy over starch” is one of my favorite quick meals. I’ll use a jar of home canned chicken, whip up some gravy using bullion, and then make a side with the cucumbers and squash I’ve got in the fridge. Home cooked dinner in a flash.
Thursday: Pan Fried Polenta with Venison Ragu and Greens
The polenta from last week was put in a loaf pan where it solidified into a loaf. I just need to slice it and reheat it by pan frying it in a bit of butter or olive oil. That will be a base to put sauce over, I’ll just use canned spaghetti sauce and add peppers, onions and ground venison for a ragu. As a side I’ll cook up some chard from the garden.
This is my venison meal for the week.
Friday: Ham and Bean Soup with Bread
Another slow cooker meal–the ham, ham broth, frozen cooked beans (from a few weeks ago when I had shelled and cooked beans from the garden that had gotten to big to use as snap beans) and probably some garlic and onion will make a soup. Bread, either home cooked if I get around to it or regular old sandwich bread with a bit of butter will go as a side.
This is my bean meal and my soup meal for the week.
Saturday: Papa’s choice.
I’m at a day conference and Buddy is at a camp out with the scouts–so it’s up to Yankee Bill what he chooses to feed himself and Princess.
Sunday: Pot Roast, Potatoes, Squash and Carrots
I’m pretty sure I have a pot roast in the freezer over at my moms. That will make a good Sunday dinner along with the classic potatoes and carrots. I’ll also chunk up and roast some squash with it, since I have tons of squash.
This is my beef meal for the week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hmmm. Didn’t manage to work in a meatless meal this week.
Are you interested in learning more about menu planning? Check out my post “Why Plan a Weekly Menu” .
Sounds good!