Happy St. Patrick's Day to you! I hope you have a wonderful celebration. I have a special dinner planned for Tuesday to recognize this fun holiday - check it out!

I love the ease of cook once - eat twice. This week I have included a cook once - eat three times. How's that for stretching the food budget and your time! These times are tough but preparing economical meals is one way to help. This week's menu goes a long way to meet that goal.

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

I hope you have a great week!

Sunday:
Roast Beef and Vegetables (crock pot; save leftover beef for Tuesday and Friday)
Tossed Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing (bagged salad greens, bottled salad dressing)
Ginger Shortcakes with Caramelized Pears (baking mix, canned pears)

Monday
Mexi-Turkey Wraps (bagged shredded lettuce and cheese)
Black Bean and Corn Salad (canned black beans and corn; save any leftovers for Friday)
Corn Chips and Tomato Salsa (bagged corn chips, jarred tomato salsa)
Embellished Sugar Cookies (prepared sugar cookie dough)

Tuesday (St. Patrick's Day):
Shepherd's Pie (beef from Sunday; instant mashed potatoes, canned mixed vegetables and soup)
Waldorf Salad
Cherry Fluff (canned cherry pie filling and pineapple, frozen whipped topping)

Wednesday:
Quick Seafood Bouillabaisse (cleaned and deveined shrimp, jarred picante sauce, canned crab, clams, mixed vegetables, and tomatoes)
Rolls of Choice
Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches (purchased jumbo cookies and ice cream)

Thursday:
BBQ Chicken Quarters (prepared orange juice and bottled teriyaki sauce)
Curried Pineapple Slices (canned pineapple slices)
Potato Salad (canned potatoes)
Green Beans
Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Friday:
Roast Beef & Brie Panini (beef from Sunday)
Bread and Condiments (prepared horseradish sauce and Dijon-style mustard)
Tex-Mex Salad (black bean and corn salad from Monday can be added here; canned black beans, corn, tomatoes, pimento, and ripe olives)
Tapioca Apples over Ice Cream (purchased ice cream)

Saturday:
Eggplant Parmesan (jarred pasta sauce, purchased bread crumbs, shredded cheeses)
Pasta of Choice (boxed pasta)
Steamed Broccoli
Orange Crescents (canned crescent rolls, jarred orange marmalade)

I sincerely hope you have fun with your meal planning and preparation