Weekly Meal Plan: Week of July 30-August 5

Monday- Baked chicken with red skin potatoes and green beans from Pinterest. There wasn't really a "recipe" that was linked to the picture but it sounds good. "A friend of mine brought me this when I had surgery. Now it is my "go to" dish for taking to people who have had babies, surgery, etc. 4-6 raw chicken breasts, new potatoes, green beans (fresh or canned-really any green veggie would work. Broccoli is good, too). Arrange in 9x13 dish. Sprinkle with a packet of Italian dressing mix and then top with a melted stick of butter. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Enjoy!"

Tuesday- Taco Soup:http://mostlynice.blogspot.com/2011/03/soup-on-cheap.html with multigrain tortilla chips.  I planned to make this last week but we went to Chick-fil-a instead to celebrate Julianna's potty accomplishments.

Wednesday- Grilled shrimp with rice and beans: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2005/10/nicks-chipotle-grilled-shrimpwith.html (recipe for marinating the shrimp).

Thursday- Crock pot spaghetti with baby spinach salad: http://picky-palate.com/2012/03/19/creamy-crock-pot-spaghetti/.

Friday- Crock pot tacos: http://mychocolatetherapy.blogspot.com/2012/01/crockpot-chicken-tacos.html.

Saturday- Eat Out

Sunday- Leftovers + Snacks at Community Group. I think I am going to make these for group: http://rachelschultz.com/2012/07/20/rolo-stuffed-snickerdoodles/ and http://thecraftyblogstalker.blogspot.com/2012/05/apple-nachos.html. YUM!

Now, I'll use this meal plan to create my grocery list. To create my grocery list, I go back through each of my recipes that I plan on using. I organize the list into the following categories: refrigerated, non-refrigerated, frozen, produce, and meat. I add the items that I don't already have at home to the list in the correct category. Categorizing your grocery list makes grocery shopping quicker and more efficient. Especially when you're shopping with a 2 month old and 2 year old!

When I shop, I always try to get the lowest priced item so I often buy the store brand. But if there is a lower calorie, lower fat option that is not a store brand, I buy that.