The contest has ended. If you are interested in signing up for the Stolen Moments Menu Planning service, I have a discount code available here.

I am so excited to guest host Menu Plan Monday for my friend Laura. Laura’s site was one of the first blogs I read when I started writing The Happy Housewife. Her Menu Plan Monday meme motivated me to plan and publish my menus each week. Having a menu plan and sticking to it is one of the easiest ways to save money on your monthly food bill.

To show my appreciation for all the menu planners out there, who have motivated me and held me accountable over the past months, I thought it would be fun to have a menu planning giveaway. If you struggle with menu planning or just want a break for a while because of a busy season, I’ve got a great solution for you.

Kate from Cooking During Stolen Moments recently launched a menu planning service, Stolen Moments Menu Planning. This service is different from other menu planning options out there because it is fully personalized to your family’s size, likes, dislikes, cooking styles and budget. Kate takes your answers from a brief survey to create unique menu plans tailored just for your family. Each plan includes the menu, recipes and a corresponding grocery list. You can choose to have your plans delivered monthly or weekly. You can also subscribe to either the basic plan for dinner only or the complete plan which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more information, check out the Stolen Moments Menu Planning site and order page. I have seen first hand Kate hard at work creating menus for families and I can assure you this is a valuable service for anyone who struggles with what to make for dinner.

Kate has offered to give one of my readers a 6 month subscription to the basic menu planning service. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. The giveaway ends Thursday, August 6, Cora time. You don’t not have to link up with a menu plan to enter, just leave a comment.

Menu Plan Week of August 2nd

I am not sure about you but it is hot around here! The temperatures are rising and in an effort to keep our electric bill reasonable I am trying to use the oven as little as possible. Thankfully we have a grill, griddle, and a crock pot to get us through this hot and humid summer.

Breakfast:

Whole wheat pancakes (recipe below), Homemade English muffins, Oatmeal, Eggs and toast, Blender better whole wheat waffles

Lunch:

Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies, Yogurt, Cheese and crackers, Smoothies

Dinner:

Cuban Chicken Salad – This delicious dish is perfect for summer and takes about 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

Salad:

• 2 chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 can back beans
• 1 cup frozen corn (cooked)
• 1/4 cup green onions chopped
• 1 small red pepper, sliced thin

Grill chicken until thoroughly cooked, slice into strips. Chop lettuce and divide on to four plates. Heat black beans and corn and spoon on top of the lettuce. Add sliced pepper and onion. Top with sliced chicken.

Dressing:

• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1 1/2 teas sugar
• 1 teas minced garlic
• 1/2 teas chili powder
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1/2 teas pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Pour over prepared salad.
For a fun twist add blue corn chips. For those who are not a fan of cilantro this salad also tastes great topped with salsa or ranch dressing.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Legs: Dark meat chicken is a great way to add meat to a meal without adding to your grocery budget.

served with tossed salad, fresh steamed broccoli, and seasonal fruit

2/3 cup dry unsweetened lemonade mix

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian-style salad dressing

3 pounds chicken legs

Remove skin from the chicken legs. Mix together marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken legs all day in the fridge. Grill chicken legs on low heat until thoroughly cooked. The chicken legs usually take about 45 minutes to an hour on the grill.

Simple Crock Pot Pork Roast: Buy a cheaper cut of meat to save money. I purchase boneless, but that is my preference.

served with fresh pineapple, macaroni and cheese, and tossed salad

1 cup worcestershire sauce

1 cup brown sugar

Spray crock pot with nonstick spray. Place pork roast in crock pot. Add worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Cook on low for 8 hours. Turn pork roast occasionally. For those of your with acute observation skills, yes, I do put my crock pot outside in the summer months to keep the house cooler.

Pizza on the Grill: Let’s just say I am no Bobby Flay when it comes to grilling. I tried pizza on the grill last summer and failed horribly. My family loves pizza and during the cooler months it is a staple on Friday nights. I am going to attempt to grill pizza again this week, with hopefully some better results.

Salmon Cake Sandwiches: This is a favorite summer time meal. I usually have some whole wheat rolls in the freezer, but since I am all out I will probably buy some potato rolls at the store.

served with watermelon, chips, and corn

• Two cans boneless, skinless salmon, drained
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (you can use low fat)
• 4 teasp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teasp black pepper
• 1 teasp salt

I beat the eggs first, then take all the ingredients and mix together in a bowl. You might need to adjust the amount of bread crumbs a little to make sure you can form the patties.

Form the mixture into eight patties (similar to hamburgers)

On medium heat coat a frying pan with vegetable oil, then melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan.

Fry your salmon patties for about 4 minutes on each side until they are a beautiful golden color.

Set on a paper towel to blot any extra oil.

Serve on a bun with your choice of toppings. We like lettuce and mayo at our house.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups buttermilk ( I use powdered and add water)

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 cups whole wheat (fresh ground soft white) flour

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and mix. Cook on a hot (350 degrees) buttered griddle for about 3 minutes on each side.

Time to link up your menu plans for the week. To participate please follow Laura’s guidelines below:

1. Link to your individual MPM post instead of to your home page.
2. When adding your name to MckLinky please make sure to include some spaces. Here is an example of the right way: The Happy Housewife (Turn off the Oven), and this is an example of the way not to do it: The Happy Housewife(Turnofftheoven)
   
3. Please feel free to let us know if you are new to MPM (so we can be sure to visit and welcome you) by putting “I’m new” or “first one” in brackets after your name in MckLinky.
4. Please mention MPM in your post and link back to my weekly MPM post hosted this week at The Happy Housewife.  I reserve the right to delete those links that don’t adhere to this.
5. Please do not host your own MPM at your site. Thanks!