OCD Grocery Shopping Continued - Week 1-1

If you read my other blog you probably read my post about OCD Grocery Shopping. Since this is my cooking blog, I've decided that I will expand on that post here. I'll start with my first week of meals from my first 5 week menu with links to recipes, suggestions, and my thoughts on the meals. I only have 4 meals per week because of our eating habits at the time this was created. My second menu collection has 5, but it will be awhile before I post that one. These are my goals for each menu plan:

1. Include 1 poultry, 1 seafood, 1 beef/pork, and 1 soup, salad, or vegetarian meal each week. The vegetarian (I simply mean meatless, I don't stick to any vegetarian standards) and salad thing didn't work so well, because we like our meat. But the thought is that one vegetarian or salad meal would reduce the cost of the weeks groceries.
2. Include at least one "quick" meal per week and schedule it for a hectic evening.
   
3. I group meals together that have the same ingredients so that you can use all the items you buy and they don't go to waste. When I make my grocery lists I have three categories: staples (bread, yogurt, milk, etc.) weekly staples (things I need to make the meals but probably already have, like olive oil, spices, etc.) and necessary ingredients (things specific to the meal that I don't keep on hand). Before I go to the store, I check each category and mark off what I don't need. Each category is listed in the order I walk through the store.

This whole concept really works for me when I am using it effectively. I could be in and out of the store in less than 45 minutes (and I'm talking Super WalMart on a Saturday morning) and was spending less. My total bill each week was $70-75 and that included other things I bought like toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Of course that was before all the prices started going up like crazy. If you would like a copy of my grocery list for this week let me know.

Week 1-1

• Quick Chicken and Corn Chowder (H,F)
  This one is great we love it. It has a nice little kick to it, and I do mean little.
• Easy Pesto Salmon (H,F)
  
• Spicy Mexican Skillet Chicken (H,F), with Cornbread or Chips and Salsa and Guacamole
  This is one of my "go-to" recipes when I need something quick, easy, healthy, and good.
• Flank Steak with Cilantro Almond Pesto (H)
  CDK made this one once, and we weren't real impressed. Plus I don't think I bought the right steak. So, we didn't try it again.

Tell me if you try any of these, what you think, and if you have suggestions for sides. Sides are my weakness.