Meal Planning for Two Weeks with $100

Hey y'all! So I don't know about you, but in this house we operate by our budget. 

We're saving up for a lot of things right now, so sticking to the budget is important. When it came to our grocery budget I was a little worried about what that meant we'd have to eat. I personally love Hamburger Helper, Ramen Noodles and some of the other "cheap college meals". But that doesn't mean I want to eat them all the time. I'm here to tell you that doesn't have to be the case. 

I love to meal plan. Well, I don't love to meal plan when it's time to sit down and think of two weeks worth of meals, but I love it when it's time to cook and I don't have to stare at the cabinets after a long day at work wondering what on earth I'm going to make. Today I'm going to share with you our two week meal plan so you can see that just because you're on a budget doesn't mean you can't enjoy delicious "normal" meals! 

This meal plan cost me $83.02! Some things to remember here - I had a handful of the things needed already. If you add those into the bill it comes out around $100. One thing I already had was all the hamburger meat we needed. I like to buy it in five or more pounds, divide it up and freeze it! It comes out much cheaper in the long run! This meal plan feeds two but all the meals are normal size, we just take leftovers for lunch. So you may need to add a meal or two.

Week 1:

Sunday - Kielbasa Sausage with Zucchini & Squash

Monday - Grilled Chicken & Pasta Salad

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Meatball Subs

Thursday - Leftovers/Kickball Night (usually means we eat out)

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Spaghetti

Week 2:

Sunday - Leftovers

Monday - Tacos

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Chicken Alfredo

Thursday - Leftovers/Kickball Night

Friday - Grilled Chicken & Veggies

Saturday - Sausage Tortellini Bake

Random:

Breakfast - Sausage, Egg, Cheese Muffins (sharing this recipe next Thursday so be sure to check it out!)

Lunch - Leftovers or Sandwich (the $100 includes a pack of lunch meat and cheese)

Other - I also bought a container of lemonade and some doggy ice cream that a friend told me about and I knew my sweet pup deserved some!

Hope this helps you realize that it's easy to stay within your budget if you meal plan, and that it also helps you realize you can eat good food too!

If you want me to share any of my recipes just let me know!!

xo Courtney

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SHE Cooks: White Chicken Chili

Everyday I feel myself turning into my mom more and more. One part of my mom that I'm happy I picked up is her love of cooking. Growing up we spent hours in the kitchen cooking, baking, laughing and now we talk on the phone constantly about new recipes we've tried. One of my all time favorite recipes she makes is her white chicken chili. Everyone who tries it falls in love, it's super easy and perfect for these freezing winter nights! 

Ingredients:

Makes 4-6 bowls.

2-3 Chicken Breasts (Boiled & shredded)

2 Cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Can of Chicken Broth

1 Can of Diced Green Chilies 

2 Cans of Navy Beans (Undrained) 

2 Cans of Shoepeg Corn (Drained) 

A Handful of Cilantro 

2 Tablespoons of Garlic

1 Tablespoon of Oregano 

3 Tablespoons of Butter

1 Tablespoon of Cumin 

2 Tablespoons of White Pepper

Directions

1. In a stock pot combine chicken soup and chicken broth, beans and corn. Bring to a boil.

2. In a skillet melt butter, add in the green chiles and garlic (You can also add diced onions). Let simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Once the stock pot has come to a boil add in chicken, all spices and the skillet mixture. 

4. Simmer for 25 minutes.

5. Top with cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, avocado and serve with french bread or tortilla chips.

ENJOY! 

This is a fun alternative to your normal ground beef chili and I swear it will be one of your favorite dinners ever! In fact, I think I have to make this for dinner now! XO,

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Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Last night we put up our Christmas decor, well really I should say early, early this morning. We pulled everything out of the attic, we put together the tree (fake and passed down from my grandma) and then we searched everywhere for the lights. RJ swears we threw them away because we didn't want to fool with them last year.. I think RJ threw them away because I think that's crazy!! We went to Wal Mart (10 pm at this point) and grabbed two '100 lights' boxes.. we got home to see this wrapped twice around the bottom of our tree so back to Wally World we went. We finally were able to decorate our tree and I stayed up late, late to finish everything! I'm super happy it's done though. 

I know, I know you think it's too early for Christmas decor but it's not! I am so busy with the Holidays, each week that gets closer to Christmas I get 5 million times busier. I wanted to put our decorations up early so I wouldn't be rushed to do so later & I wanted them to be up when my family comes in town next week for Thanksgiving. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm currently in the middle of planning the first Turkey Day that I'm hosting! It's scary but with the help of my fellow SHEs I feel prepared, sorta. I knew one dish I couldn't forget is the Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole. My aunt makes it every holiday (think Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) and it's my favorite! 

Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole

Serves 4 (Double or Triple if you're making for a crowd!)

1 16oz Bag of Frozen Broccoli

1/2 Pound of Velveeta 

1 Cup of Milk

1 Can Cream of Celery Soup

3 Cups Cooked Rice

1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper

1. Spray a 2-quart Baking Dish with Cooking Spray & Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. 

2. Boil water for about 10 minutes or until very tender

3. Drain broccoli very well and mix everything in a baking dish

4. Bake for 25 minutes

This recipe is so yummy & a great side dish any night of the week! You can also add cooked, shredded chicken and you have a full, easy dinner! Hope you guys have a great weekend. 

Xo,

Riley 

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