Before you go grocery shopping each week, you have to first take stock of what you have on hand. From there you can decide what you are going to cook for the week and what you need to buy at the grocery store. For me, what is on sale or what is fresh that week at the store often determines what I make.
There are certain things you just always have in your pantry. There are other things that you buy once a month and others that you buy every week. There's a way to go about it in an organized manner; sometimes I manage to do it better than other times.
Pantry Staples (Buy in bulk a few times a year and/or always have on hand)
* Baking goods: Flour, Sugar, cocoa powder, splenda, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, chocolate chips
* Oatmeal, raisins, flax seed, chia seeds
* Dried items: Pasta, Rice, Dried Beans, Coffee
* Canned items: Tomato Paste, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, coconut milk, evaporated milk
* Spices, salt, pepper, peanut butter, honey, olive oil, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar
Fridge Staples:
* Mustard, ginger, shriracha, mayonaise, ranch dressing
* Almond butter, miso paste, tahini, sweet chili sauce, almond milk
Freezer Staples:
* Veggies: Frozen corn, edamame
* Meat: Chicken pieces, frozen shrimp
* Stuff I made in the past: pizza dough, sauces, muffins and mini meals (which will be talked about in more detail in a future meal planning post),
Monthly Buys:
* Steel cut oats, nuts, dried fruit,
* Yellow onions, potatoes, winter squash, Serrano or other peppers, garlic
* Coffee
Weekly Buys:
* Fresh fruit, vegetables
* Creamer, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese
Pioneer Woman's stock list.
Some of the items I bought this week: butternut squash, cantaloupe, celery, red cabbage, pumpkin, mango, plums, peaches, apples, pears, Brussels sprouts, chicken breasts (0.99/lb!!).
Every week I make a big batch of something and freeze several portions for weekly meals, as well as making things like salad fixings in advance so I can just grab and go during the week. I am going to talk about that more next week, but for now, I will leave you with one of my favorite easy meals that you can use in several different ways.
Crock Pot Whole Chicken
I know, a whole chicken is a little scary. However, recently they were .99 cents a pound and so I picked up a nice one (about 5 lbs) for a steal (you do the math).
(1) Buy a whole chicken.
(2) Once you get the chicken home, take the gizzards out of the inside and feed them to the cat.
(3) Mix together your favorite spices. I used salt, pepper, a bit of red pepper flakes and Old Bay seasoning. Rub them all over the chicken, both inside and out. Make sure you get the armpits and all the other orifices.
(4) Cut up an onion. Place it in the bottom of the crock. Put the spice rubbed chicken on top of it.
(5) Set it on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours. When it's done, the juices should run clear and the arm should easily pull off the chicken. Yes, in my world, chickens have arms.
(6) Take the chicken out of the crock.
** Now comes the fun part!** Leave everything else in the crock. Remove the skin from the chicken. Throw it back in the crock. Remove all the chicken from the bones. Throw the bones back in the crock. Throw the bone carcass back in the pot.
(7) Put the chicken meat aside. Fill the crock up with water and leave it overnight, or for about 8 hours on low. The next day, strain the liquid into quart jars/containers. You now have stock!
So. To recap. You now have... three to five meals worth of chicken (depending on your family size) plus about 12 cups of stock (in my case)! All for around $5.00!
Happy meal planning! Go check out Jill and Laura's sites for this week's What's For Dinner linkup!
Do you have a cheap, go-to meal that you use over and over? Do you like to cook? Do you plan out your meals or just fly by the seat of your pants? 
