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 or breakfast for dinner.

Simple Country Ribs:

I love spareribs!  I know some people don’t like them because of the mess, but that doesn’t bother me (most of the time).  I have cooked them in my slow cooker before and they have been so tender.  Steve has grilled them for us before and I like the extra crisp on the outside.  I saw this recipe and thought it was a great combination of both techniques.  I read one review that said instead of boiling her ribs in a stockpot she put them in the slow cooker.  You could wrap a few potatoes (the 5 lb. bag of all purpose potatoes is on sale for $2.99 this week) in some aluminum foil and bake them on the grill and mix up a batch of cole slaw with the Dole Cole Slaw on sale for $1.  If you prefer a regular salad don’t forget about the Dole Salad Kit and Kraft Dressing Deal.

Chicken Kabobs:

I enjoy things like quiche, casserole, and kabobs that I can take a basic recipe and change it up just a little bit to make it my own creation.  I came across this chicken kabob recipe and thought that it would be a great starting point for making your own kabobs.  You can make it your own by choosing what veggies or fruit you want to grill with the chicken.  I also like kabobs because you can have a variety of sides like grilled veggies (don’t forget that the summer squash is on sale for $1.49/lb) and a wide selection of starches.  You could easily serve this on a bed of rice, couscous, quinoa, or whatever you like.  If you want to make this a light meal you can just serve the cooked pieces of chicken on top of a salad with the Dole Salad Kits that are part of the Dole Salad kit and Kraft Dressing Deal.

Baked Spaghetti:

I know there are lots of fancy recipes for baked spaghetti, but sometimes when time or energy don’t allow for it I make my own super simple no brainer baked spaghetti.  I simply cook the pasta and while it is warm I toss the pasta with a jar of sauce (very carefully while wearing an apron).  I then pour the pasta and sauce into a baking dish that I have sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkle cheese over the top.  I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the sauce and cheese are bubbling.  (If you want to be a little bit more creative you could easily cook some Italian sausage or ground beef to add to the sauce, but that it’s the beauty of a basic recipe you can do lots of things to make it your own creation.)  I always have pasta and pasta sauce on hand in my pantry, but if you don’t the Barilla Pasta is $1.25 a box and you can pick-up a jar Newman’s Own Pasta Sauce for $0.89 when you use the $0.50/1 from 3/20 RedPlum insert.  I would serve this with a salad (from the Dole Salad deal) and the Arnold Italian Bread is 50% off this week.

World’s Easiest Make-Ahead Marinated Chicken

I was looking for a simple marinated chicken recipe on-line and then checked out one of my favorite blogs Money Saving Mom and saw this.  I thought it was ideal for me to post it especially with all of the extra salad dressing we will be picking up thanks to the Dole Salad Deal.  I have prepared and frozen chicken this way several times and it is very easy.  The reason why I am sharing this super easy recipe is because I love how Crystal shared several different methods for preparing this dish.  I would use the Perdue Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast that are on sale this week for 50% off ($2.44/lb in Richmond) instead of the already frozen chicken breast.  I like her suggestion of serving it with rice and steamed vegetables.  The GIANT brand Steam Ready Vegetables are $1.25 a bag this week.

Happy Meal Planning!

~Ann