The season for soups and stews is coming to a close.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m not complaining that summer is coming – it’s just that I love making a double batch of bean soup or a hearty stew, freezing half of it and having an easy dinner in the freezer.  It’s a little feather in my cap when it comes to meal planning!  During the summer, I still serve lots of beans but usually it’s with a salad or in hummus.   That’s about the only way I like cold beans unless it’s a camping mishap and we have no choice but to eat cold beans.

Weekly Meal Plan

This meal plan is from Monday, April 9, 2012 to Sunday, April 15, 2012.

Monday:  fish, brown rice, roasted cauliflower

Tuesday:  white bean, kale and ground pork soup (from freezer)

Wednesday:  white bean, kale and ground pork soup (leftovers)

Thursday:  pinto beans and cheese burritos with fresh salsa

Friday:  pork chops and beet salad

Saturday:  homemade pizza with spinach, mushrooms and artichokes

Sunday:  homemade pizza with mushrooms, onions and pepperoni

I totally miscalculated how much soup was left in the freezer and we barely had enough for the second night.  On Wednesday, we each had a cup of soup and we also had a big green salad with greens from our garden (pictured above).  I cooked 2 1/2 pounds of beans for Thursday night because there were 3 teenage boys at our house for dinner and a sleepover.  I couldn’t believe how many burritos went down and the beans were a big hit!  I still had plenty of beans to freeze.  Pinto beans have more flavor on their own after cooking all day in the crock pot compared to any other beans I regularly cook.

My daughter made dinner Friday night and my son made the pizza on Saturday night.  I made the pizza dough with a sourdough starter that I was recently given and it was so much better than the pizza dough I usually make.  The sourdough starter really makes a difference.  My recipe makes enough for two large pizzas.  I’m testing how it freezes next.  Look for the recipe coming soon!

What’s for dinner at your house this week?

Related Links:
Kids and cooking can be found here
Confessions of a leftover food lover can be found here
How to avoid wasting food in the kitchen can be found here
Meal planning for campers

Sara Tetreault

Sara Tetreault writes and speaks about living well on less with thoughtful spending, smart use of resources, and efficient use of time. Sara loves good food, travel, and cashmere. With home swapping, cooking at home, and buying items second-hand, she hopes to inspire you with her stylishly frugal ways. Sara keeps a home, one husband, two children, and three chickens in her backyard.

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Go Gingham {stylishly frugal living} suggests:

• Three Easy Grains to Cook
• Weekly Meal Plan
• Weekly Meal Plan