Another week of menus and shopping. This week on the menu, in no specific order, is the following…
Roast Chicken, Rice A Roni, Corn
Fajitas, Spanish Rice, Corn Tortillas
Chinese Style Country Pork Ribs, Rice, Green Beans
Navy Bean Soup, Rolls
Spaghetti, Salad
Keilbasa Stew
Oven Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
This week a variety of meats were on sale and I decided to take advantage of this. Surprisingly, there aren’t any dishes with ground beef this week. To take advantage of double coupons and lower produce prices I shopped at 3 different stores. The bulk of my shopping was at Stater Brothers with a total of $80.85. Next Ralphs, with a total of $43.14 and finally Sprouts for a some fruits and vegetables for a total of 14.04. A grand total of 138.03. My budget is $150 for the week so the leftover money will most likely go to the next week, or possibly some dairy items at Trader Joes.
To get an idea of my spending I thought I might go ahead and list all my items purchased. While the focus of my trip is on the dinner menu, I also have to buy items to cover breakfast and lunch throughout the week. Also, you’ll notice a lot of canned foods this week. They were such a steal I couldn’t not get them, BUT I am hoping to switch out the canned lunch items for homemade soup throughout the week. I think I could achieve even more savings this way. I’ll note which items I purchased with coupons. I love 75 cent coupons because my store doubles them up to $1.
1% Milk – 2 gallons
Yoplait Trix Yogurt (75 cent coupon)
Bread – 2 loaves
corn tortillas
Pickles (75 cent coupon)
Tabasco (40 cent coupon)
Coffeemate – 2 ($1 coupon)
Campbell’s Soups – 10
Del Monte Vegetables – 9
Canned peaches – 3
Almond Milk – Half Gallon
Corn Starch
White Beans, Dry
Chef Boyardee Pasta – 4
Tomato Sauce – 2
Chocolate Milk Powder
Applesauce
Fajita Seasoning
Cranberry Juice (medical necessity, UGH)
Apple Juice
White Cranberry Juice
Pretzels – 3 bags (different types, fickle tastes in my family)
Mini Chocolate Chips (lowfat oatmeal cookies tonight!)
Ketchup – 2 (on sale, Fish “hid” the large bottle I bought last week and found it today when helping me put groceries away)
Rice A Roni
8 – 2 liters of Pepsi (yes, I know it’s bad for us, but it’s cheaper than booze)
Carrots
Ginger Root
Cabbage
Lettuce
Apples
Bell Peppers
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Bananas
Also are bananas cheap everywhere? Ours average around 65 cents per pound, which seems inexpensive to me.
Edited to ADD: For some reason I forgot to list all my meats!
1 whole chicken
Keilbasa (1 lb)
2 Pork Shanks
Pork Country Strips (about 3 lbs)
Top Sirloin (about 3 lbs)
Chicken Breasts with Ribs attached (about 6 lbs)
Chicken Legs (about 7 lbs)
Wow…that is some great shoppin! I am trying to be more organized to plan meals and save $$$. I do use a lot coupons but make way too many trips to the grocery, drug store and Wal-Mart.
I have started a blog…working on my first post.
http://www.3to11workingmama.wordpress.com
Carmajo
Ooh! This makes me think I should give you my recipe for homemade rice pilaf that tastes like Rice-A-Roni but better! I’ll put it here in case anyone else wants it:
2-3 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
1 onion, diced
1-2 carrots, diced (or 5-6 baby carrots)
1-2 stalks celery, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
optional: a few broccoli florets, cut in small pieces; a few ounces of chicken, pork or steak cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 c. medium-grain rice
3/4 c. vermicelli or other small pasta (or couscous, bulghur wheat, or quinoa)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (oregano and marjoram are also good)
salt & pepper
2 1/2 to 3 c. broth (vegetable, chicken or beef)
Heat 1-2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add all vegetables and garlic, then saute till the onions are translucent. If you’re using meat, add that to the skillet and brown.
Add another Tbsp. of butter, if you like, then add the grains and saute that a minute or two. Add herbs and pepper to taste. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes till the water’s all absorbed.
I forgot that I’ve been meaning to look Rice A Roni from scratch. I do get the boxed kind because it’s kind of a treat for the family, but I want to try this out and see if they find it even more of a treat.