Meal Plan Ideas (& This Week’s Canning)

Last week I did quite a bit of canning; it began with peaches and ended with tomato sauce.  Since we use tomato sauce frequently, I made two kinds of sauce.

First, I made a batch of Tomato Basil Sauce from a recipe I found in Ashley English's book Canning & Preserving.  The sauce tastes wonderful (yes, I used one can already.... I was desperate to try it!), and I highly recommend this book if you are new to canning.  It was one of the best, most detailed books on canning that I have come across.

The Tomato Basil Sauce was a bit light, with more of a crushed tomato base.  The next time I use that recipe I will let it simmer a bit longer so it thickens a tad more.  It had a wonderful flavor, though, and was seasoned with onions, basil, and garlic.  When I used the one jar for dinner, I first gently sauteed some onion, red and yellow bell peppers, and zucchini, then I added in the sauce.  I served it over pasta, with some parmesan sprinkled on top:

Then, I made a batch of plain tomato sauce, based on the recipe at Heavenly Homemakers. I couldn't bear to leave the skins on (although Laura did) so I removed the skins first. I also added one tablespoon of lemon juice to each pint, just in case this batch of tomatoes didn't have enough acidity for the boiling water canning method (I'm trying to be ultra-careful about that!). Laura's idea for putting the quartered tomatoes into a blender made things progress more efficiently. I think I'll do that from now on

Finally, a sweet older woman from our church came over and helped me freeze corn on the cob this week.  We prepared and processed 60 ears of corn in a little over an hour.  It's amazing how quickly things get done when you have help!  As a thank you from us, she left our home with a box full of food: a dozen ears of corn, several large tomatoes, some cinnamon raisin walnut bread...

So, what's on my menu for this week?  As usual, our meals are healthy *and* frugal, usually costing us less than $5 total for dinner, sometimes less. We're trying to eat mostly from the pantry this week, with the exception of running to the store for some produce and milk.  I'm also trying not to pop open my freshly canned yummies yet, so here's what I came up with...

Breakfasts:
Horseradish eggs with dill
Maple pecan muffins
Cinnamon raisin walnut bread with homemade blueberry jam
Cereal and fresh fruit
"Salty" eggs

Lunches:
Tuna and cheddar on crusty whole wheat bread
Egg salad on authentic German pretzel bread
Caesar salad with chicken
Leftovers from the previous day

Dinners:
Chili pie, side salad, authentic German pretzel bread
Grilled chicken, grilled carrots, rice
Spaghetti with tomatoes, bacon, and onion, and crusty whole wheat bread
Chicken tacos with mexican rice
Beef (and kosher) hot dogs with corn on the cob

What are you serving for dinner this week? I'd love to know!

           Joyfully,

{Linked up with Meal Plan Monday}

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