cha-ching chicken

extra, extra.  i have a very important news announcement.  this might come as a shock to some of you, but i have learned that IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO GO TO THE SUPERMARKET EVERY SINGLE DAY.  i know what you must be thinking (seriously...is this girl dumb or what?) but i admit that, once upon a time, i had a very time-consuming, annoying, and expensive habit of going to the grocery store every day.  my indecisive brain was unable to come up with a dinner idea until i was hungry for dinner a couple of hours before i'd start cooking it.

but last night, i was converted to a meal-planning, smart-shopping, money-saving gal.  sitting around the dining room table, feeling the familiar, faint pangs of hunger that signal that it's time to start cookin', my darling boyfriend gently suggested that rather than shopping for just that night's meal, we do something insane and plan ahead.  whoaaaaa crazy spring break keg stand ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!11!!!!!

now, initially i screwed up my nose at the idea.  sure, portobello mushroom lasagna sounds good now... but i might have a craving for something else by the time wednesday night rolls around!  but ultimately, i was swayed by my better, more practical half (and my incredible shrinking bank account) that planning ahead was indeed a wise idea.

indeed: wise, swift, efficient, and amazingly cost effective.  after a 30 minute trip to the supermarket, we emerged with 4 shopping bags (which we remembered to bring along!) filled to the brim with enough food for 4 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, all for a grand total of....$84.13 (and we always split the bill).

that's 12 meals for about 40 bucks!  amazing, i say.  simply amazing.

so, what's on the menu for this week? 

last night- dr. praeger's veggie burgers (previously existing in freezer), bean salad, corn on the cob

today- roast chicken, pesto pea salad, and roasted veggie potato skins

tomorrow- ginger chicken salad (lunch), thai peanut noodles (dinner)

day after tomorrow- bean salad and bread with hummus (lunch), portobello parmesan (dinner)

 

right now, there's a delicious chicken roasting in the oven which will provide us with 3 meals (2 dinners and a lunch).  stay tuned for more recipes involving the amazing roasted stretch-a-chicken, perfect for penny pinchers everywhere.

now, if you'll excuse me, i have better things to do instead of queueing in the god-awful self checkout at acme.