Weekly Menu...New Year's Edition

My husband received a smoker box for our grill for Christmas. So he just cooked up a couple of beautiful chickens for New Year's, and we plan to use the meat for three separate dinners. 

Day 1: Smoked Chicken in BBQ Sauce, Creamed Spinach, Buttermilk Biscuits

Day 2: Chicken and Rice Burritos, Carrot Sticks, Chips and Salsa

Day 3: BBQ Chicken Pizza, Green Salad

I also have a couple pounds of ground beef in the freezer, and will use that in a big batch of chili.

Day 4: Chili and Cornbread

Day 5: Chili over Baked Potatoes, Green Salad

I love the versatility of chicken and ground beef, as I can have variety in my meals, but also stay in my budget by purchasing when on sale. Paring with simple and inexpensive side dishes, this week's dinner menu cost only about $50. Very reasonable, considering I'm using organic chicken and organic vegetables. Since we won't have enough leftovers for lunches, I plan to spend about $10 on bread, lunch meat and fruit for lunches. 

Our grocery budget is staying the same while the cost of food is steadily increasing. As a result, I'm trying to plan most of my meals around one versatile ingredient.

Do you have a favorite versatile ingredient?

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