Menu Planning Monday

I have one word for last weeks menu...YUM! Everything was so good last week but if I had to pick a hands down winner it would be Jamika's Salmon with Pineapple Salsa.

As many of you know, my son (12) does not like potatoes of any kind. We continue to serve them and he taste them but usually leaves them on his plate. I keep hoping that his taste will change but so far nothing. This week will be the week of pasta to give him a break and use up some of our stockpile. Once again I have selected several of Rachael Ray's best. I hope you'll give them a try.

Monday - Goodness Gracious, That's Great Goulash, green salad and bread

Tuesday - Peach Glazed Chicken w/corn on the cob and baked beans, fresh fruit for dessert

Wednesday - Tuscan-Style Chicken with Rosemary, pasta w/garlic, oil and parsley, side salad

Thursday - Canadian Maple Turkey Chili, cornbread and fruit

Friday - Fried Cod, pesto pasta, bread and fruit

Saturday - Dinner Out for my birthday

Sunday Supper - Turkey Sweet Potato Shepard's Pie, Hot Rolls and fruit

That's our menu for the week and I'm really looking forward to these fall/winter comfort food recipes. We have tried a few of these last year and can't wait to have them again.

For more menu plans you can check out the Menu Plan Monday links over at Org Junkie.

Receive Free Food At Whataburger For 12 Days In December

If you go here and sign up with your email and zip code, you will receive an email with a coupon for free food from Whataburger. You will get one of these emails every other day from December 2nd to December 24th. The coupons will vary and can be anything from fries to a Whataburger. So hurry and sign up to enjoy a little free food while you're out doing your holiday shopping.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving this morning.

I know everyone is probably really busy with Thanksgiving Day preparations. I had a few free minutes and decided to update my blog with the promised tuna recipes. If you don't like tuna checkout the recipes anyway because they would also taste wonderful with some of that leftover turkey.

I will be looking over the Black Friday ads a little later today. What are your plans for Black Friday?

We will be going to the movies this afternoon to see The Blind Side. The whole family has really been looking forward to this outing. What movies are your families looking forward to?

Asian Tuna In Wonton Cups

I have so much tuna in my pantry from all the great sale this month. I have been searching high and low for new tuna recipes that don't include the word casserole in them. Here is one that my family really enjoyed.

Dressing:

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp chili paste

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp honey


Mixture:

2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) tuna, drained

3 tbsp crushed peanuts ( we used chopped cashews, free from CVS)

4 cups coleslaw mix


1 package of wonton wrappers to make cups to hold tuna mixture.

Heat oven to 350*.

Mix up the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Next, put the tuna mixture ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the dressing to this mixture and toss.

Brush 24 muffin tins with peanut oil (1 tbsp). Place 24 wonton wrappers in tins and brush any dry spots, especially tips with oil. Put in oven and bake for 6-7 minutes. Take out of tins and cool on wire rack.


To serve, place a pile of mixture on the plate and 6 wontons per person.We served this with egg rolls and fresh fruit. You could also serve it with corn on the cob, if you don't have or like egg rolls. This was a really lite and refreshing dinner.

I think this mixture would also make a yummy wrap if you don't want to mess with the wontons.

Sicilian Tuna Salad

My daughter and I had the most wonderful tuna salad panini at a little bakery last week. We wrote down a list of the ingredients from the menu on the back of a receipt so that we could make it at home. If you don't like mayo in your tuna then give this recipe a try. It is fresh and delicious.

12 oz. of tuna (close as you can get with what you have on hand)

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced or a little bit of onion diced

12 black olives, sliced

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or 1 mozzarella cheese stick, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

2 to 3 tbsps. of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Drain the tuna if using canned tuna. Put the tuna in a large bowl and flake. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until everything is distributed throughout.

I love this salad on a croissant but Jessica loves it on whole wheat. What's your favorite bread for tuna salad? Do you make your own bread? If you do make your own bread, what recipe do you use?

To see more great tips on what works well for others, (recipes, uncommon uses for everyday objects, tips, etc.) check out Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

Last Minute Shopping At Walgreens

So this afternoon, I realized that there was no more coffee creamer in the house. I could not possibly wake up and face Thanksgiving Day without coffee creamer for my morning cup of joe. I searched a few of my favorite blogs for Walgreens deals and decided that Melissa's Bargain Blog had some of the best scenarios. I pulled my coupons for Theraflu, Triaminic, Comtrex, Nabisco Crackers, and Vanity Fair Plates and headed for my favorite Walgreens.

Now you may be scratching your head and wondering why I need all these coupons when what I needed was coffee creamer. Well, the Vanity Fair Plates and Bowls were on sale BOGOF and the coupon I pulled from the October All You was BOGOF (I had 5). So after sale and coupons, I got 6 plates and 4 bowls totally free (no dish washing for me this holiday season). These had to be rung up in separate transactions because the register would only take one coupon per transaction.

Here is a list of the rest of the deals that I picked up.

5 - boxes Comtrex $5.99 ea. minus 5 - $3 MQ and 5 - $3 walgreens coupons from Healthy Savings booklet (took off $15)

5 - boxes Wheat Thins 5/$10 minus $1 MQ and 2 - $1/2 MQs and scanned $1/2 walgreens coupon from Diabetes booklet (took $2.5 off)

2 - boxes Sugar Free Theraflu 2/$10 minus $2 walgreens coupon from Diabetes booklet (took off $4) there is a MQ out for $3 off 2 Theraflu products (I forgot to pull mine)

2 - boxes Triaminic Sever Fever $1.69 ea. minus 2 - $1.50 MQ and scanned $2 walgreens coupon from Healthy Savings booklet (took off $3.38)

1 - Carnation Coffee Mate $3.79

My total after all coupons was $11.24.

I received $3 RR for Nabisco crackers, $3 RR for Theraflu, and $4 RR for the Triaminic.

So this trip cost me $1.24 for everything.

We are set on cold medicine and dinner plates.

Menu Planning Monday

Well it has certainly been a long time since I posted last. I have been dealing with a lot of craziness at my house and am finally feeling more in control. With the upcoming holidays, menu planning is going to be a huge part of keeping stress at bay. I hope you will join me and your holidays are truly a joy.



We are definitely in the mood for a change in our menus. I have scoured my magazines for some great inspiration and am looking forward to this weeks menu.



Monday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches (made with sliced leftover Spice-rubbed Pork Loin from Sunday), chips and fresh fruit



Tuesday - Maple-Walnut Chicken w/wild rice and sauteed spinach



Wednesday - Sizzling Shrimp Quesadillas w/shredded romaine, guacamole, and black beans



Thursday - Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings



Friday - Jamika's Salmon with Pineapple Salsa, basmati rice, and fresh spinach salad



Saturday - Dinner out after church



Sunday - leftover night

I hope after looking at the recipe links you are inspired to try one of these recipes. I know that seafood can sometimes be expensive but I often pick up ez peel shrimp for $3.99 a pound. A pound of shrimp is all you need for a family of four. The rest of the ingredients for the quesadilla can be picked up fairly inexpensively. This is a restaurant quality meal for a fraction of the cost. As we get close to the winter season, the price of salmon has come down and my daughter has asked for salmon this week (I'm always happy to oblige a request when I can).

I will be posting a couple of recipes that we made last week and really enjoyed. One of those recipes uses canned tuna (which is a stockpile staple) and won ton wrappers. Stop by tomorrow to take a peek at these recipes.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

For more menu plans, hop on over to the Org Junkies Menu Plan Monday post.