*This will be my last Meal Plan Monday post until after the Holidays. This regular feature will resume in early January.

Our weather here in Nova Scotia took a wintry turn this weekend with cold temperatures and a dusting of snow, and now today there is a snow fall warning with more to come later in the week. Winter weather is here, and most likely to stay for a while. I like to make a nice pot of soup if they are calling for snow…partly to warm us up..and partly because my area is prone to power outages, and I can warm soup up on my wood stove or barbecue side burner if that were to happen. I really do have a seasonal rhythm to my meal planning, and this season tends to be soup, roasts, pasta, etc.

This week’s meal plan if from The Atlantic Superstore.

Here’s what we’re having this week:

Moroccan Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Sirloin Roast, Mashed Potatoes and Carrots

Slow Cooker Chicken Burgers and Caesar Salad

Homemade Pizza

Here’s what I bought:

2 Diced Tomatoes- $1.25/$2.50
Black Beans-$1.25
Kidney Beans-$1.25
Lentils- $1.25
Chicken Broth- $1.99
Brizzolio Buns- $2.50
Hunts Tomato Paste- $0.99
PC Pizza Sauce- $2.29
Club House Sweet and Smoky Pulled Chicken Slow Cooker Mix-$1.79
Taco Seasoning- $1.29
Vegetable Bouillion Cubes- $1.79
NN Mozzerella Cheese Block- $5.79
Green Giant Frozen Corn- $2.49
4 pck Green Peppers- $3.99
3 lbs Carrots- $1.49
Dole Ceasar Salad- $3.00
2 Sweet Potatoes- $3.67
Sirlion Oven Roast- $4.44/lb- $10.46
Club Pack Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts- $14.56
Sliced Pepperoni- $5.49

Total Spent: $69.83

Here’s what I had:

Olive Oil
Onions
Garlic
Ginger
Cumin
Coriander
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Paprika
Salt and Pepper
Ketchup
Brown Sugar
Potatoes
Pizza yeast
flour
vegetable oil

A few notes about this week’s meal plan…

* I was planning on buying Haddock which is on sale for $3.99/lb, however they had signs up that they had limited amount from the suppliers and were sold out. I then went with the Sirloin Roast which was also a good price at $4.99/lb. Once you know your prices, you can quickly make substitutions while still staying within your budget.

* I am substituting canned Lentil’s instead of the dried which the recipe calls for. I will make a double batch of this to have some leftovers for lunch. This a great Meatless Monday meal. I am also leaving out the Cilantro, which I’m sure would be good, but not everyone in my family would agree. 😉

* The Club Pack of Chicken Breasts have 5-6 very large breasts in them. I will use 2-3 in the Chicken Chili and the rest for the Pulled Chicken Buns.

* The Sweet and Smoky Pulled Chicken is just combining the packet ingredients with ketchup, brown sugar and water and cooking in your slow cooker. Then just shredding the chicken and serving on buns. Super easy supper with a nice side salad that everyone should like.

* The Mozzarella Cheese will be used for the pizza and as a topping for the Chicken Chili. Green Peppers also used for the pizza.

This is a pretty simple meal plan with most of these meals, with the exception of the Roast, able to be made ahead. Busy work week? Assemble your slow cooker the meal the night before and just dump it in and turn it on in the morning. Make the pizza dough ahead when you have some time, wrap it up and keep it in the fridge. The Pulled Chicken Buns and Salad dinner will take about 5 minutes to prepare in the morning, and when you get home toss the salad and serve on buns.

I’m estimating that with the groceries I bought and the food I already had, this weeks 5 meals will cost around $70.00 or $14.00/meal. With 5 of us that works us to $2.80/person. Make a plan…eat real food…you can do it. 🙂

If you need more meal plan inspiration, check out OrgJunkie’s link-up.