Note: The only ingredient unavailable at Aldi is the yeast. The cheapest place to purchase the yeast is at Sam’s Club. The price on two pounds of yeast is $3.87. The cornmeal is available in the baking section of the store.

This crust recipe yields enough for one pizza and a small order of breadsticks. I prepare my breadsticks by rolling out the dough and scoring the dough into breadstick size pieces. I then drizzle with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic salt, and top with some cheese. Use the extra sauce for dipping! The kids love these breadsticks more than they do the pizza.

You can save time later this week by making an extra crust. We will be having a Chicken BBQ pizza later in the week!

Pizza Hut Style Pizza Dough

1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp cornmeal
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine, according to manufacturer’s settings, and run dough setting. After the machine beeps, roll out the dough. You can roll the dough into two 9×13″ pizzas (great for kid’s lunches!) or into two medium pizzas or a large pizza and an order of breadsticks (as instructed above). Parbake the crust with a drizzle of olive oil on it at 450 degrees for ten minutes. Remove the crust and add sauce and toppings. If making breadsticks, add your breadsticks at this time. Place into the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes or until golden and bubbly. Enjoy!

Pizza Sauce

1 (6 ounce) can   tomato paste
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1  tablespoon mixed Italian herbs (oregano, basil, and parsley combined)
1   tablespoon olive oil
Salt
1 1/4  cups water

Mix the first six ingredients together. Spread evenly on prepared dough.

Meals:

Italian Chops served over Spaghetti Noodles

Bruschetta Chicken Bake with a Garden Salad

Amy’s French Toast with Hot Cocoa

Pan Grilled Salmon with Chicken Flavored Rice & Green Beans

Chicken Tacos with Carrot Sticks

Spaghetti with Cheesy Bread

Chicken Wings with Honey BBQ Sauce, Cheese Quesadillas, & Carrot Sticks

Snack:

Heavenly Banana Bread

Shopping List:

BAKERY

White bread 1 (Amy’s French Toast) & save a portion for Cheesy Toasts

BAKING

Flour

Baking Soda

Sugar

Brown Sugar

Honey

BOXED DINNERS

Chicken Flavored Stuffing mix

CANNED FOOD

Chicken broth canned 2 cans- 1 (Slow Cooker Taco Meat) & 1 (Green Beans)

Vegetable canned Green Beans

Tomatoes canned 1 can diced (Italian Chops) | 1 can (Bruschetta Chicken Bake)

Spaghetti sauce, any variety

CHEESE

Shredded mozzarella cheese 1 package (Bruschetta Chicken Bake) & save a portion for Cheesy Bread

Mexican Cheese

CONDIMENTS & OIL

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

Barbecue sauce

Soy sauce

Maple syrup

DAIRY

Milk

1 package Butter

1 dozen eggs

Taco shells 2 packages (for Cheese Quesadillas & for Taco Night)

FISH & SHELLFISH

Salmon Fillets in Frozen Section

FRUITS

Bananas

MEAT

1 package center-cut pork chops

PASTAS

Spaghetti 1-2# box of thin spaghetti noodles

Rice- Chicken Flavored

POULTRY

1 bag chicken breasts (split for Brushetta Chicken Bake & Slow Cooker Taco Meat)

1 bag of chicken wings

SPICES & SEASONINGS (NOT Guaranteed to be at Aldi, but you can check)

Salt

Cinnamon

Basil

Vanilla Extract

1 Taco Seasoning Packet

VEGETABLES

Carrot 2 bags of carrot sticks or 1 bag of regular carrots cleaned and sliced

Garlic (you can substitute this ingredient with garlic powder, if you like)

1 package Romaine Hearts (for Slow Cooker Tacos & a Garden Salad)

WINE

White wine (For Italian Chops)

APPROXIMATE COST for meal planner: $60 (this will include everything you need for baking and will also leave you leftovers for lunches & such)

Sometimes it is fun to have a finger food night. We did just that last evening and it was a roaring hit. Who doesn’t love having a big tray of yummy appetizers to munch on?  My husband and children are big snackers, so this really fit the bill with our family. Step outside of the box and have a finger food night!

Finger Food Night: Chicken Wings With Honey BBQ Sauce
Serves 10 

3 pounds chicken wings (purchased in the frozen section of Aldi)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup  BBQ sauce
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 clove  garlic, minced

Season wings with salt & pepper. Place frozen wings on broiler pan and broil for twelve-fifteen minutes on each side. Transfer wings to the slow cooker. Combine ingredients and pour over wings. Cook on high two hours or low for four hours.

Nutritional facts per serving (daily value): Calories 438kcal; Protein 26g (51%); Total Fat 24g (38%)(Sat. 6g (31%)); Chol. 103mg (34%); Carb. 30g (10%); Fiber 0g (1%); Sugars 28g; Calcium 22mg (2%); Iron 2mg (10%)

The wings were served with a big bowl of carrot sticks, a bowl of apple slices, and cheese quesadillas (made from the leftover soft shells & Mexican cheese from the Chicken Taco night). I just took the soft shells and filled them with cheese, folded them in half, and then popped them in my panini maker. The same idea could be used with a George Foreman grill or you can just heat them in a skillet. Cut these into triangles and you can add any ingredients you like for topping or just serve them plain (as my family seems to enjoy!)