What's for Dinner?

I mentioned a long time ago that we aim to spend 60 Euros a week on groceries. During my pregnancy that amount went up steeply and I often lost the will to cook. Instead the evenings would go like this:

The Husband: What would you like for dinner?
Me: Something small. Like maybe a couple of cheeseburgers from MacDonalds.
The Husband: That's all?
Me: Well maybe you could also stop at Burger King and pick up those chili cheese nuggets things.
The Husband: Anything else?
Me: And then maybe see if the ice cream place is open. Nutella ice cream would be perfect.
The Husband: So 2 cheeseburgers, nuggets, ice cream.
Me: Are you calling me fat?
And then the Husband would go into the corner and cry a little.

But now that I have a schedule set up I'm finding the time to cook. I went back to Martha Stewart's website after a long hiatus (smug woman always seemed to be judging me and my swollen ankles) and discovered a couple of recipes that I will be trying this week. Gourmet they are not but I'm currently enjoying an Americana Renaissance of sorts and need this food. When I plan my meals for the week I try and buy ingredients that will work in a couple of dishes in order to cut down on waste. Here is next week's meal plan.

Monday: Sloppy Joes * with homemade fries
Tuesday: Fresh Mozarella and pesto bagel sandwich
Wednesday: Southern Mac and Cheese
Thursday: Empanadas
Friday: Out for dinner
Saturday: Leftovers

So where can I save money? Monday I will buy potatoes, a bag of 6 hamburger buns, and a large tray of ground beef. The potatoes can be used on Monday and Thursday for the empanadas, including the meat (half used on Monday- then freeze the other half). 4 hamburger buns will be used on Monday and the remaining 2 buns can be made into bread crumbs for the Mac and Cheese. The macaroni that I will buy on Wednesday can be used in the following weeks in other dishes. And I already have leftover flour that I will use for the empanadas. I have pesto in the fridge for the bagel sandwich, and every two weeks I walk to the bagel store and buy half a dozen sesame bagels that I freeze. All I have to do is buy a bag of mozzarella for Tuesday's meal. The Southern Mac and Cheese calls for 2 eggs and the empanadas also call for eggs. It may seem complicated but after a while you get the hang of it and the waste goes down. The sloppy joes and Mac and cheese recipes are from Martha Stewart. Total experiment.

*Sloppy Joes- the first time I ate these I was about 7 years old and at a 4th of July party. I told my friend's dad that my burger fell apart and that I was very very sorry. I was so confused. Also, I can't help but sing that cursed Adam Sandler song everytime I say sloppy joes. Adam Sandler was a god when I was 13.

So that is the way I roll when it comes to saving money on meals.. Awesome..

Happy Sunday!