Need help/suggestions for my menu

[HeatherFeather]

Ok, I need to cut back on my budget this week by reducing some leftover items in my fridge/freezer/pantry so I can make room for the holidays. I am trying to plan this week's menu, but I keep drawing a blank. I just cleaned out my freezer and fridge and I am determined to use up what food is left before I buy too much more.

Here are some things I need to use up:

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef
2 small chicken drumsticks (no idea what to do with these)
4-5 very thin boneless chicken cutlets (very very thin)
a few hotdogs
some frozen burgers
Beef Tenderloin Tips (several packages of these, each serves 2)
1 package of crab delights (fake crab chunks)

a bottle of Italian dressing my daughter hates - maybe as a marinade?
yellow miso paste
milk (bought an extra by mistake)
sour cream
carrots
tomatoes
every kind of mustard you can think of probably except yellow hotdog mustard

frozen cauliflower
frozen edamame beans (already shelled)
frozen peas
frozen corn
frozen strawberries
frozen blueberries
frozen mango pulp

rice
egg noodles
Asian noodles
elbow macaroni
canned beans
canned crushed tomatoes

a few cake mixes
jello

[HeatherFeather]

So far here is what I am thinking:

Use the chicken and lemons to make either Chicken Scallopine or something similar
Make some meatloaf or meatballs and marinara sauce
Carrots will go into soup for Halloween

I am at a loss for the rest of the week

[MaMere]

A stir fry with the rice and some veggies would be great.
Also, You have the ingredients to make beef tips and noodles.
You could make an awesome Ghoulash for supper too, incorporating the elbow mac, canned tomatoes, and ground beef

[Mary]

Hi Heather. I understand your frustration. The vow to use up pantry items doesn't go very far when nothing comes to mind. A few ideas:

Make rice pudding (rice + milk)

Use those drumsticks to season broth for a soup and add pieces of the chicken with vegs

Cook the cauliflower and mash it as for mashed potatoes to go with your meatloaf

Stir up a skillet combination of sliced hot dogs, peas, corn, tomatoes and macaroni.

Use extra macaroni chilled as a salad.

And there my ideas dwindle. Maybe KC will arrive soon? The chicken scallopine sounds great. And MaMere's Ghoul-ash is perfect for Halloween.

[Mary]

This might take care of your extra milk supply. =-)

http://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/custard-moms-recipe

[HeatherFeather]

This might take care of your extra milk supply. =-)

http://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/custard-moms-recipe

I saved the recipe and yes that will work well - it doesn't seem to have a lot of excess sugar and stuff in there. I made rice pudding last week, so dd doesn't want it again so soon. However, she usually likes custard, so that might be ok. My milk is 2% though - do you think it will be ok in your recipe?

[HeatherFeather]

A stir fry with the rice and some veggies would be great.
Also, You have the ingredients to make beef tips and noodles.
You could make an awesome Ghoulash for supper too, incorporating the elbow mac, canned tomatoes, and ground beef

I like the idea of serving the noodles with the beef tips - do you know of any particular recipe? These are really high quality tips made from tenderloin so they cook in about 2 seconds.

Thanks for the ideas.

[HeatherFeather]

Hi Heather. I understand your frustration. The vow to use up pantry items doesn't go very far when nothing comes to mind. A few ideas:

Make rice pudding (rice + milk)

Use those drumsticks to season broth for a soup

Cook the cauliflower and mash it as for mashed potatoes to go with your meatloaf

Stir up a skillet combination of sliced hot dogs, peas, corn, tomatoes and macaroni.

Use extra macaroni chilled as a salad.

And there my ideas dwindle. Maybe KC will arrive soon? The chicken scallopine sounds great. And MaMere's Ghoul-ash is perfect for Halloween.

Good suggestions - thank you! I think I will make a salad with the macaroni - good idea. I wasn't thinking about macaroni salads because I wasn't thinking picnic foods - silly me!

Dd loves mashed cauliflower that that is a definite yes.

[HeatherFeather]

This might take care of your extra milk supply. =-)

http://www.recipezazz.com/recipe/custard-moms-recipe

I saved the recipe and yes that will work well - it doesn't seem to have a lot of excess sugar and stuff in there. Very appealing to me! I made rice pudding last week, so dd doesn't want it again so soon. However, she usually likes custard, so that might be ok. My milk is 2% though - do you think it will be ok in your recipe?

[MaMere]

A stir fry with the rice and some veggies would be great.
Also, You have the ingredients to make beef tips and noodles.
You could make an awesome Ghoulash for supper too, incorporating the elbow mac, canned tomatoes, and ground beef

I like the idea of serving the noodles with the beef tips - do you know of any particular recipe? These are really high quality tips made from tenderloin so they cook in about 2 seconds.

Thanks for the ideas.

You're welcome Heather.
Most always when I make beef tips and noodles, I will boil the pasta in a beef broth/bullion for added flavor, and then use some of that liquid as the base to add to a bechamel sauce. I also like sliced mushrooms in that kind of a dinner. I never use a recipe for Beef Tips and Noodles..sorry