Busygals in the Kitchen - Clare's Busymom Menu Method

Busygals in the Kitchen is a series within my blog that I have created. As a Busygal, I am often searching for the easiest way to make simple, quick, delicious recipes that are healthy and not too expensive...I'm sure many of you are in the same boat!

I often run across great ideas through friends and Twitter and others' blogs for how to make grocery shopping and meal prep a more simple process, all while saving money! Below are tips from fellow Busygals who know how to make meal prep more simple! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clare's Busymom Weekly Menu Method

image courtesy of coolcanucks.ca

The first tip comes from my friend Clare, a VERY Busygal - wife, business owner, AND mother to an amazing son (click here to read her blog about her adventures in motherhood) -  she needs to be as efficient with her time as possible, as you can imagine! She shared this great idea with me:

 "I hate going to the grocery store over and over because I forgot stuff or I don't have enough of something for a recipe or dinner. I have used grocery lists forever, but sometimes things weren't on my list. Plus, whenever you make those extra stops, you totally spend too much money. So every week I write out a menu for dinner. I plan each meal and when we will use leftovers so I don't waste food either. Usually its pretty flexible too, so I can swap days. And if I know I'm going to be really late one night, that's either a leftover night or a do ahead meal night. It has saved hours and tons of money!"

Brilliant! And talk about organized!

Below you will find a sample of a weekly menu she's personally created and used (recipes are below thanks to a few requests from fellow Busygals!). She says, "Sometimes we don't go out at all, so this week is kind of a treat."

Clare's Sample Menu:
Mon:    flank steak in tortillas with chimichurri
Tues:    fish (to be determined depending on what looks good), asparagus, salad
Wed:    ravioli, salad
Thurs:  date night (dinner out)
Fri:      Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches (best recipe ever if anyone wants), Robinson
           baked beans (also best recipe ever, esp to feed a crowd), side salad
Sat:     dinner out
Sun:    leftover ham sandwich dinner

Grocery list:
Italian parsley
Lettuce
Asparagus
Avocado
2 packages King's Hawaiian bread rolls
Curry powder
Red wine vinegar
1 lb shaved honey ham
Flank steak
Fish of some sort
James' yogurt
Milk, cream, 1/2 1/2
2 cups shredded swiss
2 cans each of: cannelini beans, kidney beans, pork and beans, diced tomatoes

Recipes

Hawaiian Ham sandwiches

2 pkg Kings hawaiian rolls
1 lb shaved ham
2 cups shredded swiss
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp poppyseeds
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam (make it super easy and buy a disposable pan). Cut rolls in half, remove tops and set aside. Place bottom halves in pan (tight squeeze). Mix butter, poppyseeds, onion, and mustard and spread half of mixture over bottom rolls. Layer ham on rolls, then sprinkle with all the cheese. Put tops on rolls and spread with remaining butter mixture. Can make ahead to this point. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 min. Old fashioned recipe but amazingly yummy, cheap, great leftovers...I could go on. :) And I don't even like sandwiches very much!

Robinson Baked Beans

4 slices bacon
1 thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 15 oz can lima beans (or cannelini if can't find) drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 larger can (about 20 oz) pork and beans
1 7.5 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Lee and Perins

Brown bacon, remove and saute onion in grease til soft. Add all other ingredients including bacon and simmer 20 min. Put all in covered casserole and bake covered at 375 for 45 min, uncovered for 20 min. This just gets better and better every day. I usually triple the recipe for James' bday or whenever I make it and we eat it all week. You can't mess it up either. Change it all you like with dif beans, leave out the bacon, etc. No one needs to know you essentially just opened up a bunch of cans. :) {My kind of cooking, Clare!}

Alright, Busygals, it's time to dish! Have you ever tried Clare's menu idea? If so, how has it worked for you? Has it saved you money? Stress? Time?

Do you have other ideas and tips to share? Curious minds (like this Busygal) want to know! So click below and comment away, I want to hear your experiences and other grocery shopping and saving tips!

Don't forget to check for other posts titled Busygals in the Kitchen for more great ideas! 

Create that menu and shop, Busygals!