Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 10/5 through 10/11

Last week, I mentioned sharing my recipes for Pepper Steak and Chili.

You can find my Pepper Steak recipe on my other blog, My Vintage Kitchen.

I skipped the chili last week, but hope to make it in the next couple of weeks. I'll be sure to share the recipe then, after measuring the ingredients before adding them!

This week, I feel as if I am struggling to create my menu plan. A few things are contributing to the struggle:

• I think I'm getting sick. Feeling sick the past couple days has not only made it difficult to focus, it's actually made me not too interested in food. (Did I just say that out loud? Gasp!)
• Trying to skip shopping. We've had a few extra expenses (Costco membership renewal, wedding) this past month and a few coming up this month . Skipping grocery shopping will help us catch up. I have a freezer full of food along with a very well-stocked pantry, so major shopping can be avoided without feeling it too much. Just a little bit of a challenge, since items I want aren't necessarily what we have in stock.
• Disaster area/kitchen. After 2 years (and four months.....who's counting?)of living in our home, my husband is finally starting to paint the house. Where is he starting? The kitchen. Makes sense, since the kitchen is in the front of the house and is also our main entrance into our home. Makes sense to start on the first room you see when entering. BUT, it's a bit of an inconvenience. (More about the painting of the house/kitchen in another post....soon!)
• Dentist. In addition to working on the kitchen this week, hubby is getting some dental work done. I'm not really sure how much he'll be in the mood to eat this week.

So, I'm making a Menu Plan anyway and we'll see how much I manage to stick to it this week. Trying to prepare crock pot meals or something that can very simply be popped into the oven. Not looking for a lot of prep work this week.

Here goes:

• Monday: Cowboy Stew, biscuits
• Tuesday: Leftover Night
• Wednesday: Frozen Chicken and Pasta from Costco
• Thursday: Ham Steak, Corn Bread Casserole, Baked Beans
• Friday: Crock Pot Chicken, Mac and Cheese, green beans
• Saturday: Frozen Pizza Night
• Sunday: Leftover Night

Okay, now that I read this, I'm doing a lot of cheating this week! A frozen dinner, 2 leftover nights AND a frozen pizza night! Plus, depending on how I feel and the condition of the kitchen, Thursday's ham steak meal, might turn into a Hamburger Helper night!

Not the healthiest Menu Plan, but we'll be using up what we have and I'll be saving myself from some unwanted stress while the kitchen gets painted.

The Cowboy Stew is something new I am trying this week. I found the recipe here. I'll probably make some changes to it as I throw it together. I usually do. I'll post my version on my other blog sometime later in the week.

Need to be inspired to create your Menu for this week? Read Menu Plan Monday hosted by I'm An Organizing Junkie for some great ideas and recipes!