Thursday, February 10, 2011

Menu Planning with the MARTIN’S Ad

 

Menu planning and saving money really can go hand-in-hand.  It is important to realize that you can still enjoy some of your family’s favorite meals by menu planning with a sales flyer, you just need to be flexible. 

I am including ideas and recipes for four meals for the week.  As I’ve mentioned before, I have found that I really only cook on average four meals a week and that we end up having at least one left-over night, one meal out, and something easy like homemade pizza.

Have you had a chance to try out any of the previous recipes I have shared?  I made the Buffalo Chicken Dip for a Super Bowl Party on Sunday and everyone loved it!

Poppy Seed Chicken:

I was so excited to see chicken on sale this week for $1.99/lb. so that I could share this recipe.  Poppy Seed Chicken is one of our family favorites.  I actually got it from a friend’s mom when I was in college and it was the first meal I cooked for Steve when we were dating.  I always make sure that I have the cream of mushroom soup and crackers in my pantry stockpile to make this for dinner or to take to a new mom.  We like to have it with steamed rice and steamed vegetables like the Birds Eye Steamfresh that are on sale this week for $1 a bag or $0.67 each when you buy 3 and use the $1/3 coupon in the 1/23 SmartSource insert.

 

Sausage Casserole:

I have mentioned before that we really enjoy having breakfast for dinner.  This sausage casserole is great for a weeknight meal, a weekend brunch, or just to make up ahead of time so that you can warm up a piece for breakfast on your way out the door.  You can make this with the Bob Evans Sausage Roll (buy 2 for $2.50 each when you use the $1/2 coupon in the 1/16 SmartSource insert), the Sargento cheese (buy 2 for $1.50 each when you use the $1/2 coupon in the 1/30 SmartSource insert), and I have made it with frozen hashbrowns, like the Ore-Ida that are on sale for $2.50 a bag this week.  Do note that this recipe calls for jumbo eggs not large.  If you have large eggs you will need 8 large eggs to equal 6 jumbo eggs.  You can serve this with some fresh fruit or a yogurt parfait.

 

Roasted Pork:

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com for Easy Roasted Pork.  It looks really good and according to the reviews it can be easily converted to a slow cooker recipe making it a great weeknight meal.  (I would suggest the low setting of your slow cooker for 8-10 hours or the high setting for 4-6 hours, just make sure you check your meat for doneness.)  I would serve it with buttered noodles and steamed vegetables like the Birds Eye Steamfresh that are on sale for $1 a bag or $0.67 each when you buy 3 and use the $1/3 coupon in the 1/23 SmartSource insert.

 

Valentine’s Day Surf & Turf:

If you want to make a romantic meal at home instead of going out for Valentine’s Day you may want to try this beef tenderloin recipe.  It will be more than you need for a romantic dinner for two, but you can enjoy the leftovers for a few days.  I know that $8.99/lb. seems high, but it is a really good price for beef tenderloin.  You can also trim it yourself and cut your own beef tenderloin steaks if you prefer to eat it that way.  You can add the Phillips Signature Crab Cakes (only $2.99 when you use this $2/1 coupon) for your “surf” portion.  This would be great with baked potatoes and steamed asparagus that is on sale for $1.99/lb.

 

I hope you and your families are able to enjoy at least one of these recipes this week.  Let me know how they turned out and feel free to share any of your family favorites.

~Ann

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