Another successful no spend weekend! We ended the weekend with $30 in cash. We went $5 over our grocery budget, but we decided to stay in Saturday instead of spending our entertainment money. We also made a few household purchases. We still haven’t used our debit cards! :)

Yesterday I cashed two rebate checks and used the money to get a much-needed haircut. The rebate money may have been been better used as extra savings, but I’m counting it as a victory that I was able to get a haircut without affecting our normal monthly budget.

And now on to our menu plan for the week:

Saturday: Roasted chicken breast with salad
Sunday: Minestrone soup
Monday: BLT salad
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Chicken Greek salad
Thursday: Vegetarian chili
Friday: Chicken Caesar wraps

For more menu plans, visit OrgJunkie.

Hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

We had an incredible but utterly exhausting weekend. We were only gone for two days, but it feels like we’ve been gone a week! I’ll write more about our weekend — and our change of plans that saved us a ton of money — tomorrow. For now, all I can manage is a menu plan for the week.

I’m trying out the low(er) carb thing by cutting breads, pastas, and potatoes from our diet. These are three of our main staples, so menu planning without them is a challenge.

I’ve been struggling to lose a pesky 10 pounds gained over the past year with no luck, and several people have suggested that cutting carbs might be the answer, especially since so much of our diet revolves around unhealthy carbs like bread and pasta. Last week I limited carbs and lost 2 pounds after months of working out and dieting with no results, so I have a feeling it might be working.

I don’t want to do anything too drastic, though. This has to be a lifestyle I can live with, so we’re working on planning our meals around low-fat protein and lots of veggies so we can maintain this new diet long term. And of course, our meals have to be frugal.

Here’s what we came up with this week. I’m pretty proud of how delicious it all looks!

Monday: Mini cheeseburger salad with honey mustard dressing
Tuesday: Fajita grilled chicken  with sauteed onions, peppers, and corn
Wednesday: Chicken kabobs with peanut sauce & steamed vegetables
Thursday: Taco salad
Friday: Tomato-basil baked chicken with spinach salad

Tomato-basil baked chicken

Thin cut boneless, skinless chicken breast
Mozzarella cheese
Can of diced tomatoes
Fresh basil, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sear chicken in hot pan with olive oil on both sides. Finish cooking in oven (about 20-30 minutes). Top with mozzarella in last five minutes and allow to melt. Heat diced tomatoes on stove top. Add salt, pepper, and a little olive oil. Top chicken with diced tomatoes and chopped fresh basil.

We just came up with this recipe, and we haven’t tried it yet. I’ll let you know how it turns out! For more menu plans, check out OrgJunkie.

Have a great Memorial Day everyone!

It’s Monday again, and you know what that means. Not only is it the beginning of the week (a week before a holiday!), but it’s also time for a menu plan.

Summertime arrives early in North Carolina, and that means fresh fruits and vegetables are not only delicious, but cheap! So we’re cooking with more veggies, eating fruit for snacks, and enjoying big salads.

I’m also trying to cut carbs again — not drastically, but we’re cutting back on pastas and potatoes in our meals. Since I’m avoiding heavy breads, our weekly Friday standby of homemade pizza is also out for the time being. :( Pasta and pizza are staples for us, so it’s a challenge for us to plan meals without them. I would love some suggestions for low-fat, low-carb recipes.

This week pork tenderloin was on sale, so we’re using it in three meals. Our total at the grocery store was $57. I’ll be eating salad for lunch at work when leftovers aren’t possible.

Here’s our menu for the week:

Sunday: Rosemary roasted pork tenderloin and green beans
Monday: Pork stir fry
Tuesday: Chef’s salad
Wednesday: Pork fajitas
Thursday: Grilled chicken breasts with vegetable succotash (we substitute the butter with a little olive oil in this succotash recipe)
Friday: Chicken Caesar wraps and steamed edamame

For more menu plans, visit OrgJunkie.

We spent all day Sunday cleaning our apartment. We cleared our cabinets and closets, vacuumed under furniture, and tried to reach every crevass that has been neglected during the winter months. It feels great!

At the grocery store we spent $56. We’ve been getting really bored with our old standby menus, so we’re trying to change things up with a couple of new meals. My parents are arriving for a visit this weekend (yay!), so we’ll be going out to eat Friday.

Sunday: Chicken paninis
Monday: Taco salad
Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas
Wednesday: BLTs
Thursday: Pizza
Friday: Dinner with parents

For more menu plans, visit I’m an Organizing Junkie.

Hope you’re all enjoying the start of your week! Happy Monday!

It’s been a refreshing long weekend, mostly full of rest and relaxation. It’s time to get back to work, but even after the three-day weekend I’m feeling unprepared. Don’t you hate when that happens?

We’re keeping it very simple this week. Our menu plan is made up of staples and easy dishes. We’re making a couple of pasta dishes simply because I’m still struggling to find dishes that are easy and tasty enough the next day for lunch.

Here’s the menu:

Sunday: Stuffed manicotti
Monday: Sandwiches/leftovers
Tuesday: Whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce
Wednesday: BLTs
Thursday: Chicken and broccoli stir fry
Friday: Pizza

For more menu ideas, check out OrgJunkie.

Over the weekend we got in some much needed time outside. We attended a cookout on Saturday, and the weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. It was sunny and 75 degrees. Sunday was even warmer, so we spent the morning at the state park walking the dog on the nature trails.

But now it’s back to work and back to menu planning. I’m glad it’s a short week this week. I’m looking forward to the three-day weekend to relax, catch up on some sleep, and get some work done around the house.

It was time to stock up on coffee for the month, which increased our bill a bit, but we did okay for the most part. Our total was about $60, and we spent $14 on a month’s supply of coffee.

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Sunday: Chicken and broccoli pasta with Alfredo sauce
Monday: Leftovers/sandwiches
Tuesday: Quesadillas and refried beans
Wednesday: Spinach pesto
Thursday: Italian grilled cheese sandwiches with basil and tomatoes
Friday: Spinach and broccoli pizza

Spinach and broccoli pizza is a specialty pizza that was served at our favorite pizza place in our college town. We haven’t been able to find it anywhere else, so we did our best to recreate the recipe. It’s white sauce (we just use our homemade Alfredo recipe), spinach, and broccoli with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. I know it sounds weird, but it’s delicious! Here’s the recipe if you want to try it:

Ingredients:

Pizza crust
Alfredo sauce (recipe below)
Spinach
Broccoli
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese

Alfredo sauce:

1/2 cup half and half
1/8 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Black pepper

Heat half and half on medium low. Add butter and whisk to combine. Stir in cheese. Season with black pepper.

Wilt two cups fresh spinach in a little olive oil or thaw a half package of frozen spinach. Cook the broccoli in boiling water until a little tender, but not soft. Top pizza crust with Alfredo, wilted or thawed spinach, and broccoli. Sprinkle on mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Have a great week! Hope it’s a short one for you!

For more menu ideas, visit OrgJunkie.