…that time we went urban camping.
Yup.
This pic about sums it all up.
The chain link fence. The power lines. The busy street. If we had timed it right, the ever-loving train track carrying freight throughout the night. My legs resembling those of a lobster.
But gosh darn it there was this sign and at least we have a family picture with it to document the weekend when we chose to be happy campers even though no one slept and there was one potential outbreak of chicken pox. This weekend was the 4th annual camping trip with the Mamas and one that is likely forever to be remembered and referenced whenever we are in need of a good laugh. Every year our group gets bigger and bigger every year because we keep popping out more kiddos, so this year there were 12 families with a few hundred small children overrunning the campground where we quite possibly had the worst camp sites ever.
But the beauty of raising children as a village is we are all in it together. This is my village and I’m so grateful.
What’s cooking this week?
I’ve got the popular feta and herb stuffed chicken, a greek panzanella bread salad with roasted chicken, spaghetti with arugula pesto, golden beets and goat cheese, prosciutto pizza and more!
Dinner #1:
Feta and Herb Stuffed Chicken + Simple Side Salad
Prep and Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Total: $7.16 for the chicken + estimated $2.00 for the side salad
Dinner #2:
Greek Panzanella Salad topped with Roasted Chicken (cook ahead of time and toss in or add on top)
Prep and Cooking Time: 45 minutes (most of that is letting the salad rest after it is tossed)
Total: $9.26 for the salad + estimated $2.00 for chicken
Dinner #3:
Spaghetti with Arugula Pesto, Golden Beets and Goat Cheese
Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total: $7.15 for the pasta (you may want to add extra protein if desired)
Dinner #4:
Prosciutto and Caramelized Onion Pizza and Side Salad
Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total: $5.61 for the pizza + estimated $2.00 for the salad
Weekend Chile Rellenos + Seasonal Fruit
Prep and Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total: $5.72 for the rellenos + estimated $2.00 for the fruit
Dinner #6:
Rosemary Balsamic Glazed Chicken + Potatoes (if desired) + your favorite veggie
Prep and Cooking Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes (prepare chicken night before, then most of the day-of cooking time is roasting)
Total: $10.22 for the chicken with potatoes + estimated $2.00 for a side veggie
Total for 6 nights of dinners: $55.12! That’s about $2.29 per serving!
*This is based on the food items I purchase and the prices I pay as included on this handy-dandy spreadsheet.
Shopping List:
Meat
- 6 (4-6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts)
- 3 ounces prosciutto
- 1 (3 1/2-4 pound) whole chicken
Produce/Herbs
- 1 cucumber
- 2 bell peppers (any color)
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 4 red onions
- 1/4 cup basil
- 1/4 cup italian parsley
- 1 favorite veggie
- seasonal fruit (to go with chile rellenos)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons rosemary
- 4 cups arugula
- 1 lemon
- 2 shallots
- 4 golden beets
- 1 head lettuce
Pantry
- 1 loaf french bread
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 package spaghetti
- 1/4 cup walnuts, almonds or pine nuts for spaghetti
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 4 corn tortillas
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1 pizza dough
- 2 cans diced green chiles
Dairy/Eggs
- 7 ounces feta
- 3 ounces goat cheese (for spaghetti, can substitute feta too)
- 1/4 cup asiago
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- 1 cup grated jack (for rellenos, but you can sub mozzarella too and not buy jack)
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
Need more meal plans? I’ve got plenty more to share if you need inspiration in the kitchen!
Browse more plans (with shopping lists!) here.
