Save Your Money- Buy Our Groceries: Vol. 23

2 people, 5 days, 70 bucks or less

For more info on this series of posts, click here!

THIS WEEK’S MENU

This week, most of the food is cooked ahead so you’ll have more time during the week, but chisel out enough time to get it all done on Sunday (about 3 hours). 

Breakfast

• Zucchini, Mushroom, and Red Pepper Frittata

Lunch

• Veggie Moussaka

Dinner

• Mini Cheddar Meatloaves with Green Beans and Smashed Thyme Potatoes

Snack

• Corn Muffin with Strawberry Jam

THE GROCERY LIST  (for 2 people)

• bread for toast- at least 12 slices
• fresh thyme
• fresh oregano
• fresh parsley
• 3 zucchini
• 1 tub pre-sliced mushrooms
• 6 eggplants
• 2 bags fresh green beans
• 3 lbs. ground sirloin
• 2 red peppers
• 4 shallots
• 6 cups teeny tiny potatoes
• garlic
• 5 onions
• small block or small tub of shaved parmesan cheese
• 6 oz. white cheddar
• 4 cups veggie broth
• 2 15oz. can diced tomatoes
• 18 eggs
• 2% milk
• bulgur wheat
• stone ground cornmeal
• strawberry jam

WHAT WE ALREADY HAD AT HOME

• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• cooking spray
• BBQ sauce
• horseradish
• dijon mustard
• dried oregano
• allspice
• cinnamon
• ground cloves
• butter
• flour
• sugar
• baking powder

PREP ON SUNDAY

Veggies for the Frittata

• cooking spray
• olive oil
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 3 zucchini, chopped
• 1 tub pre-sliced mushrooms, chopped into smaller bits
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• salt
• pepper

Heat cooking spray and a splash of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.   Add shallots and cook for 1 minute.  Add red pepper; cook for 2 minutes.  Add zucchini and mushrooms; cook until everything is soft and cooked through.   Add oregano and cook for 30 more seconds.  Salt and pepper to taste.    Store in the fridge for the week.

Veggie Moussaka

• 6 eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• olive oil
• cooking spray

Preheat the broiler.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Brush each eggplant slice with olive oil and lay in the pan in one layer.   You will have to broil these in batches.  Broil 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned.   Remove from the oven and repeat until all slices are broiled.  Set aside.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 onions, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup uncooked bulgur
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 4 cups veggie broth
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• salt

Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat.   Add onions; cook for 6 minutes.  Add garlic; cook for 1 minute.  Add bulgur; cook for 2 minutes.  Add spices and cook for 1 minute.   Add broth, tomatoes and oregano.   Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until thickened; about 20 minutes.   Salt to taste.  Remove from heat.  Spray the bottom of 2 9×13 casserole dishes with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the dishes with half of the eggplant slices.  Top with the bulgur mixture; halving the mixture between the two dishes.  Finish both casseroles with the rest of the eggplant slices.   Preheat oven to 350.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add flour and whisk for about 1 minute.   Add milk, whisking to combine.  Continue to whisk the mixture until it thickens.  Remove from heat; stir in cheese and salt.  Cool for about 3 minutes and then whisk in the eggs.  Pour over the casseroles, dividing evenly between the two.   Bake for 40 minutes.   Cool for about 20 minutes before covering and storing the fridge for the week.

Mini Cheddar Meatloaves

• 2 slices of bread, processed into breadcrumbs
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425.  Heat cooking spray in a small pan over medium high heat.  Add breadcrumbs and toast until golden browned.   Remove from heat and dump into a large bowl.

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup bbq sauce, divided in half
• 6 oz. white cheddar, cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan
• 2 tablespoons horseradish
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 lbs. ground sirloin
• 2 large eggs, slightly beaten

Put everything into the bowl with the breadcrumbs and mix with your hands to evenly combine everything.   Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray;  form mixture into 10-12 loaves and place close together on the pan.  Top each with a little of the leftover BBQ sauce.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.   Cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes before transferring to a storage dish.   Store covered in the fridge for the week.

Smashed Thyme Potatoes

• 6 cups teeny tiny potatoes
• salt
• pepper
• 2% milk
• fresh thyme

Put potatoes in a pot and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes.   Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until fork tender.   Strain; return to the pot and mash the potatoes with some milk, salt, pepper and fresh thyme to taste.  Transfer to a bowl and store in the fridge for the week.

Corn Muffins

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1/2 lb. butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a muffin pan (12) with paper liners.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.   In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs and then whisk in the milk and butter just until combined.   Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until combined.  Scoop the batter into the liners.  You can pile it up pretty high because it won’t spread out a lot while baking, but you will still have some batter left over.  Make it into a mini loaf to eat right out of the oven if you’d like!  Bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden on top and cooked through.   Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pan and freeze immediately for the week.

BREAKFAST- 10 minutes

Zucchini, Mushroom, and Red Pepper Frittata

• 1/5th of your cooked veggie mixture (or about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• salt
• pepper
• cooking spray
• 2 slices of bread, toasted and buttered

Preheat broiler.  Warm veggies in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  While they warm, beat eggs with milk and add a little salt and pepper.  Remove the veggies from the pan.  Spray the pan liberally with cooking spray.  Pour in the egg mixture and then the veggies.  Gently spread the veggies out so they are evenly distributed.  Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes or until egg is almost completely cooked through.   Put the pan under the broiler to set the top of the eggs; about 30 seconds to a minute.   Gently divide the frittata in half and slide onto two plates.  Serve with a slice of toast!

LUNCH- 5 minutes

Veggie Moussaka

• 2 portions of the Moussaka from Sunday

Reheat in the microwave or in the oven and eat!

DINNER-  15 minutes

Mini Cheddar Meatloaves with Green Beans and Smashed Thyme Potatoes

• 2 mini meatloaves
• 2 scoops of the potatoes
• 2 handfuls of green beans
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.   In the meantime, reheat the meatloaf in the microwave, oven or in a pan.  Reheat the potatoes in the microwave.  Boil the green beans for 5-6 minutes; strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.  Toss the beans with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Serve the meatloaf with potatoes and beans.

SNACK-  10ish minutes

Corn Muffin with Strawberry Jam

Take two muffins out of the freezer in the morning to thaw at room temperature throughout the day OR heat your oven to 400, wrap them in foil and bake until hot.   Serve with jam.