Menu Planning with Penny

When you are a stockpiling shopper, menu planning is a little different than the typical “make a menu and then go shopping.” For me, it seems a lot easier too.

Once a week, I flip through my cookbooks and considering what I have in my stockpile, I make a list of six meals. Why only six when there are seven days? Because every person needs at least one night off. On those nights, we either go out to eat or have leftovers.

If there are a few ingredients that I do not have, I add those to my shopping list for the week.

So, if you would like to follow along and cook with me each week, you might be interested in knowing what I keep stocked in my pantry. BUT, please do not go shopping for every item on this list right away. Just pick up the items you need for this week (if you do not have them already stockpiled) and then add to your stockpile as the items are placed on sale.

Here goes:

• Dry stuffing Mix
• Potato Mixes
• Canned veggies
• Tomato sauce/paste
• Alfredo & pasta Sauce
• Spaghetti & Fettuccine
• Tubular pasta (like ziti, penne & elbow)
• Rotel tomatoes
• Diced tomatoes & Italian diced tomatoes
• Dried beans (like lentils, red or kidney, black, pinto, northern & chickpeas)
• Condensed soups (like cream of mushroom & tomato)
• Chicken broth
• Vegetable beef & chicken noodle soup
• Ramen noodles (chicken)
• Rice (white & instant brown)
• Grits
• Corn meal
• Canned beans
• Artichoke hearts
• Black Olives
• Canned tuna
• Frozen spinach
• Frozen veggies
• Ground beef
• Chicken leg quarters
• Chicken breast
• Beef chuck roast
• Pork loin & chops
• Chicken thighs
• Turkey
• Ham steaks
• Bacon
• Tilapia fillets
• Breaded shrimp
• Cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Butter quarters
• Eggs
• Baking mix
• Crackers
• Brownie mix
• Cookie mix/dough
• Canned fruit
• Jello
• Instant pudding
• Cool Whip
• Cornstarch
• Red wine vinegar
• Salsa
• Olive Oil
• Vegetable or Canola oil
• Soy Sauce
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thyme leaves
• Paprika
• Onion powder
• Bay leaves
• Crushed red pepper
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Fresh garlic
• Onions (yellow or white)

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