Menu Plan Monday: Week of September 5th

It's a rainy Monday here in Pennsylvania.  Grace is feeling under the weather again, so the rain really doesn't have any affect on our Labor Day plans.  Although, Joe did get drenched while doing some outdoor chores this morning. 

With Grace being sick, I've planned a lot of easy meals for the week.  Frugality is key for this month, as well.  After several weeks of challenging myself to use foods from our pantry and freezer during the summer, I burned out a bit and started to slack on cooking at home and being frugal.  We splurged quite a few times in the past couple of weeks and we can definitely see the difference in our bank account. 

September I will focus on using what we have as much as possible, rather than running to the supermarket or ordering take out (as tempting as that may be).  To help with this plan, I'll be making use of my slow cooker as much as I can. 

There's something comforting about a meal cooking all day in the "crock pot".  At least it's comforting to me!  I think it might have something to do with the fact that dinner is taken care of even before I've thought of breakfast!  And if I clean up as I go, there won't be much of a mess either!  Comforting thought, right?  :) 

• Monday:  Chicken Stew.  This is cooking in the slow cooker now, as I type.  I finally got around to making Greek Chicken during the week (sorry, I didn't get a picture this time, but will be making it again soon!) and wanted to make chicken stock from the carcass.  There was a lot of meat left on the chicken, so after letting it simmer all night in the slow cooker, I picked all of the meat off the bones and threw together a stew (similar to this one) for dinner tonight.  I sure hope it tastes as good as it smells!  I'll be sure to post the results later this week! 

• Tuesday:  Chicken a la King.  I still had a lot of chicken left over after making the stew.  It's been a while since we've had Chicken a la King, so this will be a perfect way to finish up that chicken!   

• Wednesday:  Leftover night.  I'm sure I'll have a lot of leftovers between the stew and the meatballs.  I'll be taking full advantage of a "no-cook" day and get the rest of the laundry and some other housework done. 

• Thursday: Sweet 'n' Sour Meatballs, buttered noodles, steamed veggies. I never did get to these the last time I put them in the menu plan. I have a ton of laundry to do this week, so easy slow cooker meals will come in handy.    

• Friday:  Hamburger Soup. Last fall, I made a really tasty hamburger soup that we both really enjoyed. I threw it all together after a chilly day at the pumpkin patch.  Although, I remembered to take a picture, I don't remember exactly what I put in the soup.   I think any combination of ground beef, veggies, and broth would be tasty! 

• Saturday:  Another leftover night!  Again, taking advantage of a fridge full of leftovers and having another "no-cook" night! 

• Sunday:  Undecided.  We have a fun day planned for Sunday and I'm not sure if we'll be home or not when dinner rolls around.  If we are, it will either be leftovers or tuna casserole. 

So, what's on your menu for this week?

Follow me over to Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu planning ideas and recipes!