Breakfast For Dinner

It is getting to the end of the week and I do my grocery shopping on Fridays, so there are not many choices for dinner. I don't want to turn on the oven for frozen pizza even thought I don't feel like cooking because it is supposed to be in the 80's again today. I don't want to stand in front of the stove forever to make Fried Ravioli either. The only two options left on my list are Dirty Rice and Breakfast. Since the breakfast items are more perishable (the ground beef for Dirty Rice is frozen), breakfast it is! Although this still means standing in front of the stove...

Now, what will I do with those eggs? I also have a can of cheddar cheese soup in the pantry, frozen broccoli and cauliflower in the freezer, and half a roll of pork sausage and english muffins in the fridge. Would it be gross to put all those things in a casserole? Maybe, and I would have to turn on the oven. I have a recipe for a frittata that calls for diced potatoes which I would substitute with cut up english muffins, but again I have to turn on the oven. >sigh< Looks like stove-top scrambled eggs or omellettes, sausage patties and toasted english muffins wins. Maybe I'll pour some of the cheese soup over scrambled eggs and top it with the homemade fresh tomato salsa I have in the fridge! Now THAT sounds yummy! And worth standing in front of a stove for too.

I have to finish my grocery list for tomorrow. We are on a budget, like everyone these days, and I pour over the sales papers circling things we need or use a lot. I also try to match up coupons with sale items for extra savings. Then I make a list of the meals I want to cook next week and look at the recipes to see what I have in the pantry and what I need to buy. I also have a list of everyday things we use like butter, milk, shampoo, etc. that I use to jog my memory so I don't forget anything. The best idea I have implemented is to have a legal pad on a clipboard with a pen attached hanging in my pantry. Whenever I run out of something or notice we are getting low, I immediately write it on the list. This has been the biggest help to me because otherwise I forget we are out of dryer sheets, or worse, toilet paper.

I pretty much know the price of everything we buy, and use the sales papers to fill in the blanks, then I write down the prices on my list and add it all up. If I am over the budget (and I am always over the budget) then I have to start crossing things off the list, like those macadamia nuts I was craving or the bag of Funions for my husband, until I get to my magic number. On rare occasions I have to change my menu plan and pick cheaper meals.

So far I have the following planned for next week: Chicken Kabobs with Cherry Tomatoes, Onion and Green Pepper, Taco Salad, Italian Sausage on Rolls with Coleslaw, and Burritos. Nice, light summery foods and not one thing that has to go in the oven!
Happy eating!