Happy Monday! How was your weekend?? I may or may not have fallen asleep on the sofa Sunday afternoon while watching Netflix. Which is a sure sign of a fun weekend. Between church, co-hosting a baby shower and a kid birthday party, we are all tired but happy!
It’s nice to be back in the groove with menu planning after almost a month off that schedule. Between traveling and doing a little pantry/freezer clear out, it’s nice to be in the menu planning routine again.
So last week I was wondering through Costco, and I stumbled upon something I’ve always wanted but never owned – cast iron skillets! (Shocker – I know! 8 years of marriage and only now buying one!)
I was asking a friend, who I consider a good foodie, what sorts of things she cooks in her skillet. She had some great ideas! So we’re diving head first into skillet land with a few different recipes.
In other news, I wandered into Aldi’s last week on a whim. Oh Aldi experts – what does one buy at Aldi’s? There is no doubt prices are pretty cheap! But what’s good? What are the must buys?
As always, for more information on how I menu plan, look at this.
Monday:
Grilled Cheese (in the skillet!)
Tuesday:
Stovetop Mac & Cheese (in the skillet!)
Wednesday:
Thai Pad See Ew
Thursday:
Baked Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas
Friday:
Summer Minestrone Soup
Saturday:
Leftovers
Sunday:
Homemade Pizza (in the skillet!)
Need more ideas for dinner?
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Linking up at Menu Monday with Org Junkie
Have fun with your iron skillet! I’ve never owned one either, but I’ve always dreamed of having one. That skillet mac and cheese sounds amazing.
I shop at Aldi about once a month – produce (if the selection is good), canned goods, baking items and dairy products are all good things to look for. But of course I have a video all about that… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV6YoDdz2rk
🙂
Oh yes! I knew you would have a good answer for the Aldi’s question. I knew you had something, but couldn’t remember if it was a YT video or a post. Perfect! Thank you!
Oh, I kind of want a cast iron skillet, too! I see all of these great recipes where you cook in your skillet and then transfer it directly to your oven to bake. How great is that?! I love Aldi, it has become a staple stop in my grocery shopping. I actually did a post on my favorite things to grab here…although I’m always discovering new things so I’m sure I left off a few things!
http://everylittlepennyblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-to-shop-aldi-top-items-to-buy.html
YES! Thank you for your Aldi’s post! There were so many things, but I wasn’t sure what was worth the purchase in price and quality. And I’ve done one meal in the Cast Iron and it was amazing!!!
We bought a cast iron skillet last winter and i love it. We took a small one to see how it works for us, and now we are thinking about buying another bigger one. I don’t like our other skillets anymore.
I bought a set that had two sizes, and I’ve already used both. I can tell it’s going to be used so much!
Oh those enchiladas sound so good. I have quite a few butternuts from the garden laying around :).
It’s so yummy! It was eaten here once a week for such a long stretch, then I got out of the habit once the hot summer hit and I didn’t feel like turning on my oven. 🙂
I’ve never owned an iron skillet either! That skillet pizza and grilled cheese sound amazing. Can’t wait to hear what you think about cooking in yours. Keep us posted 🙂
We’ll see how it goes! The grilled cheese seemed like a no-brainer, and something I couldn’t mess up… but the pizza and mac & cheese seem a little more of a gamble! Stay tuned!
I’ve heard that pineapple upside-down cake baked in a cast iron skillet is delicious! As for Aldi’s, we buy the basics – dairy, lunch meat, produce, canned goods, bread, spices and baking products. I’ve recently discovered that their refrigerated cheese ravioli paired with their alfredo or spaghetti sauce is very good!
Thanks for your must buys! Now that I’ve got some good ideas from everyone I need to head back 🙂 And an upside-down cake is such a good idea!
You gave me some great meal ideas for next week. By the way, I’ve nominated you for an award. You can stop by my blog tomorrow (Wednesday) to check it out. 🙂
Oh hooray! Thank you!! And glad you got some ideas!
I buy almost everything at Aldi!!! They are owned by Trader Joe’s so if you see any products in Aldi that are similar to the ones you see at TJ’s they actually ARE the same thing! Just a heck of a lot cheaper! The only things I really avoid at Aldi are things I know I only like name brand (Hamburger Helper/Rice a Roni type products, some chips and snacks, french fried onions, toilet paper…) and sometimes produce. Produce at Aldi seems to only be good when it’s fully in season. You should definitely hit it up more often! I actually just started buying their Lacura brand moisturizer and it’s working great! I love spending $4 on night cream instead of $10-20!
Mariah
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