This Week on the Dining Table

The "How Not to Wear a Mask" Edition................

With this Pandemic there was a strict protocol when Hubs went to get his eye shot.  He got this nifty face mask to wear.  Here he is demonstrating how NOT to wear your mask. lolz

Moving On....

Onward to the meal planning-

This is what was planned for last week.......

1. Sunday--Cheese Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread
2. Monday--single serve Devour frozen dinners or Potatoes au Gratin and Roasted Carrots
3. Tuesday--Cheeseburgers on buns, sweet potato fries

4. Wednesday--Sweet and Sour Chicken w/Broccoli

5. Thursday--Leftovers or FFY

6. Friday--Fajitas
7. Saturday--Leftovers or FFY

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Cheese Lasagna, Salad, Garlic Bread
2. Monday--single serve Devour frozen dinners
3. Tuesday--Cheeseburgers on buns, sweet potato fries

4. Wednesday--Leftovers(I had strawberries, we got subs for lunch)

5. Thursday--Homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken w/ Broccoli, Rice

6. Friday--Corn on the Cob and whatever leftovers you wanted(I just had corn)
7. Saturday--Take-Out Chinese(I got Mu Shu Chicken)

Last week saw 4-5 nights of home cooked dinners(1 was tv dinners tho),  1-2 nights of leftovers/FFY, and 1 night of Take-Out(plus 1 Take-Out for lunch).

What got put into the freezer last week....
* Scallions(I chopped and froze a restaurant sized bag)
* 4 lbs. Shredded Mozzarella
* 4 lb. bag Oriental Blend Veg
* large bag of Peach Slices
* 2 lb. bag of Shrimp
* a piece of the Lasagna I made

What got taken out of the freezer and used.....
* 1 pack of chicken breast
* 4 hamburger patties
* 3 frozen dinners
* 1 bag of mozzarella
* 1 box of garlic bread
* 1 bag of broccoli
* 1 partial pack of sea legs
* 1 lb. shrimp

1 trip each to P and R Discount Outlet and Maines restaurant supply had me spending $131.49 this past week and brings my April Total spending on food so far to $219.49.
Being a restaurant supply I knew I'd be able to find some things there I couldn't have Hubs get at Weis(flour, cheese, some veggies)but also being a restaurant supply I spent more because the containers were larger(10 lb. flour, 5 lb. cheese, etc.).  This just means I won't be needing some items for quite awhile.  I didn't overbuy but in the back of my head was the thought "get it now and get a lot so you don't have to go to the store for a longer time".
I hit P and R first and what was cheaper there I got there before hitting Maines.   I also got some deals at P and R....like 3 of Ex-CB's fav coffee, a box of Panko, 2 boxes of off brand Twinkies(a yellow one and chocolate one)since you never know when Hubs or Ex-CB will have a Twinkie emergency(I don't eat that stuff)and a bottle of yellow mustard because we were on our last one and I just realized it.....eek!

This having Hubs shop for me at Weis is not working out very well.  My list and instructions have to be so detailed and he just doesn't have the "shopping intuition" or ability to think on his feet if A is out, get B.
If I wrote EVERYTHING/EVERY POSSIBLE SCENARIO out for for him it would take me days to make a list. And god forbid he actually CALL or TEXT me on his phone if there is a problem......

Thank god that when I die he'll be happy just eating pasta and jarred sauce every single day plus nuking a bag of frozen peas to throw into the mess.
I am thankful that he did end up getting the correct free ham at Weis though.  I had my doubts he would but that worked out ok.

I don't worry so much about going to the small stores I've been to during this as they aren't as crowded as a major grocery chain like Weis and I wear a mask, a glove and my container of Lysol wipes to wipe down any surface I come in contact with.

I am still at $6.20 earned  in Ibotta rebates in April.  Nothing earned this week on Ibotta since Maines and P and R don't qualify as stores they recognize. 8-(

My savings percentage last week was 42.16%(without Rite-Aid trips)and April's monthly savings total comes in at 39.04% so far(w/out R-A).  

I have 10 more food shopping/spending days in April.

Leftovers going into this week.....Rice, 1 helping of Pork Salt Lick Teriyaki Stir-Fry, Green Beans, Chicken Marsala(1 helping), 2 ears of Corn, Lasagna, Sweet and Sour Chicken, more Rice, Leftover Chinese Take-Out, Sizzling Rice Soup(I made not take-out).
The rest of the Lasagna will get thrown into the freezer and the rest will be lunch fodder

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Steak, Baked Potatoes, leftover assorted Veg
2. Monday--Chicken Fajitas
3. Tuesday--Pierogies, Sautéd Cabbage

4. Wednesday--Broiled Flounder, Au Gratin Potatoes, leftover Veg or Tossed Salad

5. Thursday--Leftovers or FFY

6. Friday--Meatloaf, Yellow Squash Casserole
7. Saturday--Leftovers or FFY

What needs buying for this menu?
I'm feeling the need for salad greens so that needs to be procured but otherwise nothing pressing.
The Weis(PMITA)Markets sales ad is two whole pages long this week.  There is nothing on sale really so not worth bothering unless we run out of something that's crucial(which we won't except maybe milk).

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Super Moon" Edition--

I went outside about 9 pm and took this photograph of the Super Moon with our Thanksgiving flag also in the shot.  Can't say that the moon looked closer than it ususally is at this time of year but it certainly was significantly brighter.
I'll try another shot tonight.

Moving on......

Onward to the meal planning!

Here's what was planned last week--

1. Sunday--Meatloaf, Broccoli, Au Gratin Taters

2. Monday--Chicken Parmesan, Corn Casserole

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Teriyaki Flank Steak with Stir-Fry Veggies(leftover taters for BF), Rice

7. Saturday--Leftovers

And this is what actually happened--

1. Sunday--Meatloaf, Broccoli, Au Gratin Taters

2. Monday--Chicken Parmesan, Corn Casserole

3. Tuesday--Leftovers

4. Wednesday--Hubs got Take-Out(I was sick.)

5. Thursday--Spaghetti w/Meatballs and Sausage, Garlic Bread(nobody was up for a salad too)

6. Friday--Fried Chicken(take-out), Mashed Taters, Macaroni Salad

7. Saturday--Spinach Salad and Leftovers

5 meals cooked at home, 2 of them a night of leftovers, and 2 nights of Take-Out.
I was fighting a cold/sinus thing all week so we got Take-Out twice and I used 2 premade meals from the freezer(meatloaf and meatballs)plus another dinner that was easy to prepare(chicken parm using breaded precooked patties).  I got a good deal on lovely spinach Friday at Weis so we had a big old Spinach Salad on Saturday and the Teriyaki Flank Steak meal moved to this coming week(I actually made that last night.).

As for the grocery spending.....3 trips to Weis and 1 trip to the Shursave market and free drinks at Kmart using a free gift card and $3 spent at Dollar Tree(18 ct. eggs for $1!)brought my weekly spending to $173.24 and my November food spending Total so far is $322.05.
I've got another $130+/- to spend next week and I am done spending actual $ on food in November.

So far, so good in my savings percentages in November at this point.  This week the savings rate average was 43.15% and the month-to-date stands at 50.44%.

Leftovers going into this week.......chicken thighs, salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, chicken parm, spaghetti, meatballs, sausage.  Leftover barbecue got put into the freezer.
Some of this will be eaten for lunches and some for dinner on Leftover Days.

Here is this week's "food plan".

1. Sunday--Teriyaki Flank Steak, Stir-fry Veggies, Fried Rice
2. Monday--Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli
3. Tuesday--Kielbasi, Pierogies, Sauted Cabbage
4. Wednesday--Fajitas, Refried Beans
5. Thursday--Leftovers
6. Friday--Tacos
7. Saturday--Leftovers

This week will see 5 new meals cooked and 0 nights of Take-Out and 2 nights of Leftovers.

What I need to buy for this menu?  Not a thing.  I earned $20 in free food chits last week so I'll be buying items to fill out the Thanksgiving menu-cranberry glop, whipped cream, etc.

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?


Sluggy

This Week on The Dining Table

The "Did you eat your Black Eyed Peas for New Year's so you can have luck this year?" Edition .....

Shame on me for buying ready to prepare peas and not soaking mine from dry peas!
My Southern ancestors are spinning in their graves I am sure. ;-)
I did a simple sauté of onions and bacon with bacon grease, add the peas to heat til hot, and serve preparation.

Around here they do pork something with kraut since it's heavily Polish-descent population.
But we hold to our Southern roots in this house.....

What is your family New Year's food tradition?

On to the Meal Planning.

Here is what was planned last week--

Sunday--Eating Out on Vacation
Monday--Eating Out as Son's apartment
Tuesday--Whatever we found in the fridge when we got home

Wednesday--Chicken Parmesan, BEPs
Thursday--Cod
Friday--Lamb Chops
Saturday--Pork Chops

Everything as planned(or not so planned)until Thursday, when we had pulled pork sammies with coleslaw from the pork #2 Son didn't eat while we were away.  Then Friday was Beef Stew using leftover rib roast from Christmas and Saturday was Kielbasa Sandwiches with California Medley Veggies(kielbasa, rolls and veg was already here).
 

As for the food spending last week....
There was 2 trips to the grocery store & 1 trip to Rite-Aid and I spent a grand total of $73.53(including my Rite-Aid trip at $.69)on $157.70 worth of groceries/toiletries at 3 different stores.  I am going to strive for another $300 or less grocery month for January.  At this much spent, I am on track to accomplish this, crossing fingers. ;-)

Leftovers going into this week--Pulled Pork, Coleslaw, Beef Stew, Lula Rolls, Roasted Cauliflower, Corn Casserole.

Here is this week's meal plan---

Sunday--Lamb Chops(have), leftover Roasted Cauliflower, leftover Corn Casserole
Monday--Leftover Pulled Pork Sammies, Coleslaw
Tuesday--Leftover Beef Stew, Biscuits
Wednesday--Mushroom(have) Parmesan, Green Salad, Pasta(have)
Thursday--Clam(have) Chowder, Cod(have), Sugar Snap Peas(have)
Friday--Pork Enchiladas(using leftover pulled pork), Green Beans(have)
Saturday--Pork Chops(have), Red Apple Kraut, Stuffing(have)


What I need to purchase for this menu?....... Potatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, Tortillas, Red Cabbage, Grape Tomatoes and Salad Greens.  Other items needed(not for dinners)are lunchmeat and bread and maybe milk. 


What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Sluggy


 

Meal Planning January Week 4, Food Spending Week 3

                                                                      

And here is what actually got served last week......

Sunday--Steak, Asparagus, Potatoes & Onions

Monday--Leftovers

Tuesday--Leftovers

Wednesday--Chicken Pot Pie

Thursday--Rigatoni w/Meat Sauce, Brussel Sprouts, Rolls(made into Garlic bread)

Friday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

Saturday--Chinese take-out

I served 3 of the meals I planned.  The meals that didn't get served(Steak Tips, Cheese Steaks) get moved to next week.

The food spending last week?

2 small trips to the grocers for a grand total spent of $50.90.  Almost half of it was for lunches, juice and seltzer for Daughter.  I bought frozen and fresh veggies, fruit, some provolone cheese, a loaf of French bread and I splurged and bought 2 Cannolis for Hubs and I.  The cannoli was the only dairy I had all week and it caused me some gunkiness....but was worth it. lol

We are up to $199.85 food spending for January.  One week left and I have half of my food budget still.
I also have a $10 Catalina that expires 1/24 to use at Weis.

As for leftovers rolling into this week--1 head of cabbage, and the leftover steak.

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Here is what is getting served this week.....

Sunday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

Monday--Taco Bell or Fend For Yourself

Tuesday--Beef Tips in Gravy over Noodles, Ginger Carrots

Wednesday--Fish, Beets, Au Gratin Potatoes

Thursday--Cheese Steaks, Broccoli

Friday--Halushki

Saturday--Leftovers or Fend For Yourself

The Beef Tips are leftovers redone.  The other 3 meals are new food.  Wednesday and Friday meals will yield leftovers for Saturday eating.

Needed at the store to serve this lot?

I bought the fish and more carrots last week and had everything else already.  Depending on how much Halushki I want to make, I may need another head of cabbage.  I'll need more fresh fruit and salad greens(for lunches).  "Good" hot dogs and honey are on sale this week so I'll be stocking up on those items.  I'll try to keep the spending under $70.

I'll be going to my 2 grocery stores this week to note prices for the new Price Book.

What's on your menu for the week?  Any good deals at the grocers this week?
Did you have any food waste this week?

I've got some big changes coming in February to our diet.  I am not sure how this will affect our food budget but I suspect it will have an impact.  Stick around and see what happens.

Sluggy

Food Spending OCTOBER Week 4+, Meal Planning NOVEMBER Week 1

Another wartime food waste poster.  From everything I've heard about Army food during the 1940's, the word "style" doesn't pop up too often. if. ever.  But yes, leftovers can taste AWESOME!

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If you read last week, you know I planned out being able to stick to my Meal Plan even if we lost power for a few days as a result of Sandy.  Luckily for us, we didn't lose power for very long.  This mostly meant that we didn't have to eat 3 cartons of ice cream in a very short time.lol

And here is what actually got served last week....

 

Sunday--Pot Roast, Carrots, Potatoes, Mushrooms, Onions

Monday--Sloppy Joe on Onion Rolls, Corn

Tuesday--Chinese take-out

Wednesday--Salmon, Kraft Mac&Cheese, Green Beans

Thursday--Beef Stew(used leftover Pot Roast), Bread

Friday-- more Stew or leftover Sloppy Joe or Chinese take-out

Saturday--Cheese Burgers(used up leftover onion rolls), leftover Green Beans

 

The food spending last week was $106.24 for $188.44 reg. retail worth of goods.  I also earned a $5 Cat Q last week.  Most of the spending was buying ahead so I could qualify for the Thanksgiving gift certificate at the local Shursave market.  Only about $15 of what was spent was for immediate needs.

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Going into this week, I have leftover Sloppy Joe(1 serving), so nothing really to incorporate into my new meals.  If I don't eat this for lunch this week, I could mix it into the spaghetti sauce on Friday.  Viola-no waste!

This week's menu....

 

Sunday--Steak on grill, Salad, Roasted Potatoes & Onions

Monday--Rueben Sandwiches

Tuesday--Grilled Pork Chops, Halushki(a cabbage & noodle dish), cinnamon apples

Wednesday--Honey Mustard Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

Thursday--Kielbasi on Rolls, Onions and leftover Sauerkraut, Corn

Friday-- Ravioli with Sauce, Spinach Salad

Saturday--Leftovers

Last week I hit upon a deal on sliced corned beef at Weis.  They had 8oz packs of Freidriech pastrami, roast beef and corned beef, regularly $5.99 pack on sale for $3.99.  Some packs had $2 instant discount Qs on them as they were nearing sell by dates, which made those $3.98 lb. for high end deli meats.  I scarfed up some roast beef to tuck into the freezer and enough corned beef to make Ruebens for dinner.  I already had Swiss cheese, 1000 Island Dressing and Sauerkraut, so I bought a loaf of Jewish rye bread on Sat.  Had I planned on this for a meal?  No, but as soon as I saw that deal the end of last week, I changed things up.   We'll be knoshing in style tonight for dinner! ;-)

 

What do I need to buy to serve this menu?  I bought the bag of salad on Saturday as it was on sale last week....ditto the deli meat for Ruebens.  Left to buy is a head of cabbage, kielbasi rolls, fresh spinach.

Also needed milk, and maybe fruit, though we still have many apples left from last week.

I will be buying a frozen turkey this week, as well as some good buys this week, along with getting items ahead that I'll need for Thanksgiving dinner.  This is the last week for purchases to qualify for the gift certificate at the local Shursave market so besides the $15 I need to spend for this week's meals, I'll be shelling out around $80 more dollars of food items.  Luckily the end of this week the Shursave market is having their semi-annual Meat Sale, so I can stock up on some meats....the ones they don't jack the price up on right before the sale and then lower them. lol  Spending this targeted amount means I get $20 in free food vouchers to spend the following 2 weeks.

 

So what are you cooking at your house this week?


Sluggy

Food Spending Sept. Week 2, Meal Planning Sept. Week 3

       US Govt. Poster From WWII
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And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

Sunday--Chicken Enchiladas, Caesar Salad

Monday--Steak Tips in Gravy over Brown Rice, Green Beans

Tuesday--Tacos

Wednesday--Pizza

Thursday--Leftovers

Friday--Salmon, Asparagus on the Grill

Saturday--Chinese take-out

The weekly food spending was  $170.02.  $130.37 in reg. grocery spending and $39.65 at Rite-Aid.

Ugh.

While I got some really good deals and accomplished a savings rate of between 45.55% and 56% at the grocery store, it's still a big chunk of money spent.

I spent the $50 on needs as planned and then I did some stock-ups/rock bottom prices on yogurt, spaghetti sauce, chicken, steak, salmon, taco shells, whack biscuits, dehydrated potatoes, pizza rolls for the teen and I bought 4 boxes of cereal.  

I had to laugh at myself buying cereal again.  Besides the casual box or two of cereal I got for free or almost free in my Rite-aid scenarios over the last few years, I haven't 'on purpose' bought cold cereal since the Fall of 2009.

That Summer and Fall I took advantage of a couple of amazing Sales Promotion by Acme markets.  Here's a couple of photos of some of what I got back then....

Let me also mention it was the last time I bought a nasty Pop-Tart....lol

One of those hauls included 19 boxes of cereal, the other one included 45 boxes.  Of course 27 of those boxes ended up going HERE, but I digress.

The point is, I haven't gone out of my way to buy cereal for us until last week, when I bought 4 boxes.  When it was here in such large quantities the kids ignored it and had to be threatened with bodily harm to get them to eat it.  Bring 4 boxes into a "cereal barren landscape" and they are fighting over who gets it first!  I guess it's basic economic theory--the scarcity of a product imbues it with magical powers and the marketplace will set it's value.

Go figure......

I've spent $249.92 of my $400 monthly food budget so far this month. 

I am going into the new week with these leftovers......a tiny bit of taco meat, which I will add to the new filling for the Enchiladas.

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This week's menu.....

Sunday--Burgers on Rolls, Corn

Monday--Stuffed Shells, Green Beans

Tuesday--Beef Enchiladas, leftover Corn

Wednesday--Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

Thursday--Pork Chops, Potatoes, Beets

Friday--Leftovers-only 2 home

Saturday--Leftovers

 

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....Ground Beef, Salad Greens.  

Milk, Fruit and some stock-ups('Crack' noodles aka Kraft boxed dinners)will also happen this week.  I'm hoping to "get by" spending $65 this week.

No wait!  There is a Catalina Deal and Hubs needs coffee.

Oh crap.....looks like I'll be going over $400 this month too.

Come back to see how badly I stray from my budget next week! ;-)

So what are you cooking at your house this week?

Sluggy

Food Spending August Week 2 & Meal Planning Week 3

Repeating the picture above again this week.  I got to thinking and the caption is all wrong!

It should read, "If Looks could kill women wouldn't need CAST IRON SKILLETS.

Am I right? ;-)

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And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

Sunday--Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Green Beans

Monday--Meatloaf, Squash Casserole 

Then things went haywire.....

Tuesday--Leftovers

Wednesday--Steak, COC

Thursday--Rigatoni with Mushrooms in Sauce

Friday--More Leftovers + mixed veggies

Saturday--Leftovers Yet Again(plus a big tossed salad)

I only made 2 of the original meals I planned.  Wed and Thurs we changed plans due to a store sale on steak, corn of cob and mushrooms(I had the sauce and pasta already.).  The 2 meatloaves and leftover pasta left us with many leftovers.

 

The weekly food spending was $188.09.  This is waaaay high for me in just 1 week.

I hadn't counted on the local Shursave market having their semi-annual MEAT SALE last week.  About $150 of that spending was pure meat.  I got a large Pork Shoulder(for smoking and barbecue), 7 lbs. of ribeye steaks and 2 large eye round tenderloins which I hacked up into smallish sirloin steaks and cubed the ends into stewing beef chunks.

Only about $40 of what I spent last week was on non-meat necessities.

I have $91.93 left of my $400 food budget for August. 

And it's just the 13th of the month.

A.C.K.

I do have $12 in Cats and a $10 gift card to help get me through the rest of August without going over my $91.93 left.   That gives me around $113 for the rest of the month.  Just keep any deals and sales away from my eyes!lol

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up......meatloaf, rigatoni in sauce.

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This week's menu.....

Sunday--salmon with maple glaze, Stir-fried mixed veg, mashed potatoes

Monday--BLT sandwiches with tomato from our garden...slurp!

Tuesday--tuna helper, caesar salad

Wednesday--Leftovers

Thursday--tacos or taco salad

Friday--burgers, baked beans, cucumber salad

Saturday--Leftovers

 

 

I'm going for easy peasy this week on the stovetop or outside on the grill and no running the oven.

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....cucumbers.

I bought bread, carrots, rolls, lunchmeat for lunches and lots of lettuce last week so it's just cukes and milk.  I'm going to try to keep the spending under $20 this week.....I have to use the $12 in Cats this week, so actual $ spending of $8 or less.

So what's on deck for your menu this week?

Sluggy

Food Spending August Week 1 & Meal Planning Week 2

Ain't it the truth.....

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And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

Sunday--BBQ Chicken, Collard Greens

Monday--Hamburger Helper type casserole, Pickles

Tuesday--Leftovers/Fend For Yourself

Wednesday--Subway Sandwiches

Thursday--KFC, Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw, Biscuits

Friday--Leftovers/Fend For Yourself

Saturday--Fried Fish, Yellow Squash, Coleslaw

I cooked 3 meals at home last week.  Hubs and I got a sandwich on Wed. since no one else was home, I didn't see the point of cooking a big meal in the heat.  KFC was our splurge/eating out for the week.  It gave us 2 full meals worth for $21.

#2 Son wasn't home for dinner Mon.-Fri. due to band.

The weekly food spending was $119.98 done in 2 trips to Weis and 1 trip to the local Shursave Market. I had a $5 WYS $50 Q for Shursave so I bought ice cream, milk, carrots, 2 types of fruit, deli meat, 2 loaves of bread, tartar sauce, 6 jars of spaghetti sauce, 6 bottles of salad dressing and 2 boxes of tea bags.

The last few items were part of a Spend $20/Get $7 Catalina Q Unilever Deal.  The 2 trips to Weis to do the Purina Dog Food and the Nestle Deals.   The Purina Deal didn't produce the Catalina so I got a $10 gift card which I promptly forgot to use for the Nestle Deal. doh!  I did receive the $5 Cat for the Nestle Deal.  Between the 2 stores I have $12 in Cats and a $10 Gift Card to spend on future free food in the coming weeks.

Besides the Cat Deals at Weis I picked up some cheap chicken cutlets, pork ribs, some steaks and some reduced bakery muffins.

I have $280.02 left of my $400 food budget for August.

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up......nothing at all.

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This week's menu.....

Sunday--Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Green Beans

Monday--Meatloaf, Squash Casserole

Tuesday--Tuna Helper, Tossed Salad

Wednesday--Chicken in the Crockpot, Stir-fry Veggies

Thursday--Tacos or Taco Salad

Friday--Pizza, Salad

Saturday--Leftovers

I have squash and green beans to use from the garden this week.  

We are suppose to have some cooler days this week so I'll be turning on the oven 1 or 2 nights(2 nights if I make a homemade pizza instead of using one of these gift cards I have for a couple of pizza places around here).  I'll make enough meatloaf for leftovers.

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?..... lettuce.  Also more lunch  meat, fruit, eggs, yogurt and milk for non-dinner needs.   This should be a light week for groceries.  I'm figuring $30 for all.

So what's on deck for your menu this week?

Sluggy

Food Spending July Week 2 & Meal Planning July Week 3

My keyboard seems possessed today.  Things are inadvertently getting "highlighted" and erased by some unseen force.  I have gotten up with disgust from the computer a time or two today and gone off to take care of other things here just to keep my sanity.

If I get this finished while it's still Monday AND I still have my wits about me, it will be a feat extraordinaire!

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And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....


SUNDAY--Smoked Chicken, Cornbread, mixed Veggies in Chinese Sauce
MONDAY--using up the leftover steak....steak sandwiches, steak salad-not sure yet

TUESDAY--Ribs, Beans, Macaroni Salad(yet again!lol)

WEDNESDAY--Squash Casserole, Grilled Salmon

THURSDAY--Subway Sandwiches

FRIDAY--Dinner Out (Chinese)

SATURDAY--Fajitas with smoked Chicken

We used up all the leftovers again.....yay us!   Hubs and I have been eating alone again this week due to Daughter's work schedule.  She either goes out for pizza or wings after work or she eats something at the mall if she is working at dinner time.  "Dinner" being a $1 soft pretzel and a $1 lemonade.  We'll see how long she goes like that until she gets tired of spending her own money and/or she needs real food again.

The weekly food spending was $91.05.  After only spending $7.62 last week, we needed more than usual this past week.  Plus ground beef was $1.99lb(rock bottom price!)at Weis, so I bought 7ish lbs.  We also made our monthly trip to the bread outlet last week and since it's summer we added some snacks(chips)to the shopping list.
The regular retail value for all was $172.32 so I had a 47.16% savings rate.  And this isn't counting what I hauled home from Rite-Aid for free last week...figure in another $49.25 worth of stuff at reg. retail and my savings rate shoot up to 58.90%!  ;-)

As I reset my July Food Budget to $300, I now have $201.33 left to spend on food/toiletries this month.  16 shopping days left in July.  I think I can make it! 8-)

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up......fajita fixings, 1 piece of cornbread and about half of the squash casserole.

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This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Leftover Chinese(from our Dinner Out)
MONDAY--Marin Joe's Special

TUESDAY--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini

WEDNESDAY--Hamburger Helper type casserole, leftover Squash casserole

THURSDAY--Kielbasa on Rolls, homemade Pickles, Green Beans

FRIDAY--homemade Quiche, Tossed Salad

SATURDAY--Leftovers

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....
I bought most everything to make these dishes when I went to the store last week.  I will need to buy a pie crust for the quiche and salad greens.  Green beans might be purchased if our bean plants don't "give up the goods" by Thursday. lol  I see some milk and fruit being purchased as well.  As for stock-up opportunities this week?....I haven't even looked at the store ads yet.   I should be able to keep the food spending under $40 this week.

A note......it's been amazing to me to see how little we need to spend on food when it's just Hubs and I eating and we aren't feeding the ravenous offspring.  Unfortunately, while the amount of food prepared and bought goes down, the amount of time I have to spend on menu planning, shopping and preparing said food hasn't decreased.  If you are cooking 2 pork chops or 8 pork chops, you still spending the same amount of time doing all that stuff.  8-(

So what's on deck for your menu this week?

Sluggy

Food Spending July Week 1 & Meal Planning July Week 2

Now is a great time to be eating seasonally in the Northern Hemisphere!  The fresh veggies and fruits are beginning to come in to your local market and/or farm stand.  And while they are fresh and found locally, deals on those lovely veggies can be found!  It shouldn't cost you a fortune in the coming month or two to eat well for a reasonable amount of cash.

So be sure to get out there and find some deals on fresh produce.

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And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Salad
MONDAY--Baked Potatoes and toppings

TUESDAY--Salad, Grilled Cheese, Watermelon

WEDNESDAY--BBQ Ribs, Macaroni Salad, Baked Beans, Watermelon

THURSDAY--Chinese Take-Out

FRIDAY--Smoked Chicken, leftover sides

SATURDAY--Ribs, Mac Salad, Raw veggies and dip

Since the daughter was working nights at the store, she wasn't home to eat much, so after the big smoker/grill-out on Wednesday we basically just ate leftovers, except for Thursday when we took a break and had Chinese take-out.  It's Monday and we are STILL working on leftovers!lol

You may notice that my planned LOBSTER DINNER didn't happen.  Hubs stopped at Price Chopper on his way home Tuesday and they had no $5.88lb. sized lobsters.....didn't seem like they ever got them either!  The fishmonger was trying to upsell to the $7.99lb sized ones they did have.  You KNOW I don't play that....so we cobbled together some foods to eat instead.  I have grilled cheese and a salad, Hubs opted for burritos I believe.  Maybe next time I'll actually get my lobster.

Last week was wickedly hot!  Running the oven was NOT an option!!  We got around that by using the grill(steak), the smoker(ribs,chicken), the crockpot(crockpot, beans) and the microwave.  And I used the stovetop to make a grilled cheese sammie.

The weekly food spending was $7.62 for mostly produce and milk.  We made 2 trips to the ShurSave affiliated market.  I sent Hubs or daughter and I didn't even go to the store last week.  It was too hot to go for me!
The regular retail value was $18.83 so I had a 59.53% savings rate.  Well, if you count the $65.53 worth of stuff I got at Rite-Aid last week for no $ OOP, the rate goes way higher!lol

As I reset my July Food Budget to $300, I now have $292.38 left to spend on food/toiletries this month.

Going into the new week I have the following leftovers to use up......some steak, 2 servings of ribs, 2 servings of baked beans, a LOT of macaroni salad, half a smoked chicken.

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This week's menu.....
SUNDAY--Smoked Chicken, Cornbread, mixed Veggies in Chinese Sauce
MONDAY--using up the leftover steak....steak sandwiches, steak salad-not sure yet

TUESDAY--Ribs, Beans, Macaroni Salad(yet again!lol)

WEDNESDAY--Fajitas with smoked Chicken

THURSDAY--Stuffed Shells, Salad

FRIDAY--Squash Casserole, Grilled Salmon

SATURDAY--Marin Joe's Special, Glass of wine

 

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....

Well, I have everything through Tuesday to make those dishes, since it's mostly leftovers anyway.lol

After that I need.....mushrooms, peppers, onions(maybe), salad greens, yellow squash, frozen spinach.

Add in some seasonal fruit and we are all good.  There will be more spending though for Daughter's needs, which will be mostly breakfast type items(bagels), milk(for her protein drinks)and other things she hadn't told me about yet.

 

I have premade shells and shredded cheese in the freezer as well as raw salmon and ground beef for Friday's and Saturday's meal. 

 

I'm figuring about $30 for this week, besides any stocking up opportunities I may find.


So what's on deck for your menu this week?

Sluggy

Food spending June Week 3 & Meal Planning June Week 4

You will recall that I did NOT do a meal plan in last week's installment of Food Spending/Meal Planning.

The reason?

We were out of town for 4 days and I didn't want to think about what to serve when we got back.

So I made it up as we went along.

Plus, since Hubs was still on vacation, even though we were home the last 3 days, I didn't want to have to cook if I could avoid it.

***********************
And here is the "meal plan" that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--McDonald's  for breakfast, PF Chang's for dinner
MONDAY--Bob Evans for breakfast, Raising Cane's chicken for lunch, Skyline Chili for dinner
TUESDAY--Free Hotel breakfast, Arby's for lunch, Chef Ernie's for dinner
WEDNESDAY--Free Hotel breakfast, The Dragon Chinese Restaurant for lunch, Arby's for dinner
THURSDAY--late breakfast, Bob Evans for early dinner
FRIDAY--late breakfast Christo's Greek Restaurant for dinner

SATURDAY--Chinese Take-out lunch, Pork Chops and Asparagus for dinner

Lots of meal out and away from home.  1 meal cooked at home this week.  While I was glad not to have to cook for a change, spending the added money to eat while away from home doesn't sit well with me.

The weekly food spending was $24.58.  It was 2 trips to Weis. You can see what I bought HERE.

The short version, I did the Weis Dairy Month Instant Savings Deal twice, bought 11.75lbs. pork loin(to cut into boneless chops), a few more dairy items and some store-made muffins.  

Reg. retail was $97.84 for all so we saved 75% for the week.

I've spent $331.49 of my $400 food budget for June.  I have $68.51 left to spend this week.

Since I have $59 in expiring Cats to use this week, I hope to spend very little actual food budget money.

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This week's menu.....
SUNDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, grilled Squash
MONDAY--Salmon w/maple bourbon glaze, crudite plate(radishes,celery,carrots)with dressing dip

TUESDAY--Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad

WEDNESDAY--Potato and Toppings

THURSDAY--Zucchini Chicken, Rice

FRIDAY--Hamburger Helper type meal, leftover veggies

SATURDAY--Homemade Pizza, Salad

What I need to purchase for this menu?

Zucchini, Squash and Salad Greens is all I need to make this happen.

We need fruit too this week.

I've got some leftover veggies in the fridge to incorporate, a bag of taters in the root cellar, as well as a hunk of pizza dough in the freezer from the last time I made pizza to use up.


So what's on deck for your menu this week?

And how is your food spending going this month?

Sluggy

Food spending May Week 4+ & Meal Planning June Week 1

It's the "Guess Who's Coming To Stay?" Meal Plan Week

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And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Leftovers and/or Whoppers
MONDAY--Burgers/Dogs cookout, baked beans, potato salad
TUESDAY--Alfredo with veggies and steak slices, tossed salad-used up a leftover
WEDNESDAY--Leftovers (crazy schedules night)
THURSDAY--Tacos-used up a leftover
FRIDAY--Pizza
SATURDAY--Subway Subs(only 2 of us home)

 The weekly food spending was $22.35 this past week.  I sent Hubs to the store for mozzarella cheese on pizza night and he bought reg. priced cheese instead of the $3 1lb. bags on sale....sigh.....thus my high spending on just a few items last week.

Personally, I didn't set foot in a grocery store last week.  I just sent peeps in for a thing here or there while they were out and about....eggs.....milk.....cheese.....
I didn't see any deals I needed/wanted so I just stayed away.

Tues. I used the half a London Broil that was leftover from last week.  Slapped some A-I and spices on it, seared it in the cast iron skillet to heat it up, sliced it up and paired it with fettucine with alfredo sauce. nom nom nom
On Thurs. I took the leftover Sloppy Joes, heated that up with Mexican spices(garlic, cumin, cilantro, cayenne pepper)and turned it into taco meat.
Made pizza dough on Fri. for homemade pizza.

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This week's menu.....
SUNDAY--Chinese Take-Out
MONDAY--BLTs
TUESDAY--?
WEDNESDAY--?
THURSDAY--?
FRIDAY--?
SATURDAY--?

Sunday I was in the garage cleaning most of the day so we got take-out.  Seems if I don't cook, I can't get anybody else around here to make dinner and we always end up eating take-out.  I so hate this!  It puts a lot of pressure on me.  It's not like I don't have things here to make-for most any skill level-it just never occurs to anyone to offer to make a meal.
Monday the beagle had surgery.  She had a cancerous toe removed.  Between that, trying to clean the house before company descends, having to hem Daughter's work pants and the usual craziness all I could manage was to slap together some sandwiches for dinner.  They should feel lucky to get THAT!lol

As for the rest of the week?
I.
Am.
Clueless.

Yah see, the Sis-IL is arriving Tuesday.
And every time she comes to stay she has dietary restrictions.
And her diagnoses seem to come and go and change every time, so what she could eat last time won't be what she can eat this time.
And she is hyper picky about what she will eat anyway.
And then the Brother-IL is arriving on Wednesday or Thursday.
And he has dietary problems that he won't talk about.
So I don't know what he can or cannot eat.

Maybe I'll just fix a big pot of tasteless swill and put a condiment bar next to it so everyone can kick it up to whatever notch they can handle.
Yah, that's the ticket.....

By the time they have all left on Saturday morning I'll probably be so tense that my last nerve won't feel like cooking so I'll send Hubs & #2 Son out to Taco Bell or something for dinner.
And I'll just sit home and nurse a bottle of Southern Comfort.
For medicinal purposes of course!

If I find the time I'll be back later this week with some sort of menu plan.
Maybe I'll just go to the deli and buy 20 lbs. of sliced meats and cheeses, a couple loaves of good bread at Panera and make a plate of veggie and condiment fixings and make them all eat off of that for the week.

I'm certainly not taking them all out for every meal because they NEVER pay.

What would y'all cook/fix/buy if you were in my position?


Sluggy

May Food Spending Week 2, Meal Plan Week 3

 Yes, the above picture is me in regards to my meal plan for the week.

All the kids are now home, plus #1 son's girlfriend.

I have no idea how or what to plan since they all seem to be moving in different directions at all times of the day and night.  I never know who will be here for which meal and I sure don't want to way over buy/make for meals and have tons of leftovers in the fridge when 2 of them leave later this week, leaving me only 1 person who actually likes leftovers still home.   sigh

 

 

And here is the meal plan that actually happened last week.....

 

SUNDAY--Kielbasa on rolls, Roasted Corn

MONDAY--Chicken Parmesan, Grilled Asparagus

TUESDAY--Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sandwiches

WEDNESDAY--Not sure, scrounge what is here Night?

THURSDAY--Chinese take-out
FRIDAY--Roast Chicken, Carrots, Potatoes
SATURDAY--Beef Stroganoff, Corn on the Cob

 

 5 nights of new meals and 1 nights of leftovers and take-out for 1 night.

The weekly food spending was $53.86 this past week.  #2 Son requested a meal that required me to purchase meat and sour cream at full price.  I also bought potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, lettuce, corn on the cob, 6 cartons of orange juice, strawberries, eggs, ice cream and milk and all but the milk and ice cream were on sale.

I never did get to the restaurant supply store for the chicken breast deal or the 5lb. block of cheese this past week.

Value of food bought was at $90.22 so my savings rate was 40.30% for the week.   Total spending for the month to this point is $147.65.  Plenty of cash left in the budget for the rest of May.

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In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with a big pile of Beef Stroganoff and 2 ears of corn.  We also have some leftover meats from Sunday's cook-out.

 

This week, it's crazy around here.  4 16-21 year old persons with 4 different schedules.  Then there is Hubs and I.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Beef and/or Elk burgers and/or dogs, potato salad, baked beans, pumpkin pie

MONDAY--Leftover Stroganoff or something else they can scrounge

TUESDAY--Chicken Enchiladas

WEDNESDAY--Out to Eat

THURSDAY--Sloppy Joes, Brussel Sprouts
FRIDAY--Freezer Surprise *I clean out the back of the freezer and cook something.lol
SATURDAY--Leftovers

This menu gives us 4 new meals and 2 nights of leftovers and 1 night Eating Out.

This week we have a varied number of diners depending on the night.
 
As for items I need to buy for this week......ground beef, rolls.

We'll be buying milk as usual, along with some fruit bars and ice cream.

Weis has some Instant and regular type Catalina deals this week(Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark).  I may or may not do them.  I am just feeling blah lately in regard to grocery shopping and deals.

Ok, I'm feeling blah about everything lately.  I just don't want to do anything....


So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy

April Food Spending Week 2, Meal Plan April Week 23

The Weekly Vintage Kitchen is back!
Here is this week's model from 1955....

I don't know what to think of this one!  The linoleum floor throwback to the 1930's, the faux brick details that harks back to a colonial kitchen but the thoroughly modern(or should that be moderne?) look of metal cabinets and rounded too, along with oh so modern formica tops?  The formica tops also have that oh so 1950 classic diner metal edging on them.

What do you think about today's vintage kitchen?  Does it work for you in style and/or form?

Onward to the meal plans!
And here is the meal that actually happened last week.....

SUNDAY--Ham, Asparagus, Leeks in Cream Sauce, Great Aunt Lula's Rolls, Deviled Eggs
MONDAY--Leftovers

TUESDAY--Ham, Mac & Cheese, Cabbage, Leeks in cream sauce
WEDNESDAY--Sausage Sandwiches, Onions, Corn
THURSDAY--?  I can't remember  ate from here, not take-out
FRIDAY--Chinese Take-out
SATURDAY--Subway Subs, Salad

Sunday was busy as it was Easter and we had 4 more for dinner.  We ate ham again on Tuesday and I am slicing up the rest to tuck into the freezer this week for a later time, as we have hit our ham threshold.lol  Mostly we ate from what was here or had take-out.  I didn't do much actual 'cooking'.

The weekly food spending was $38.89 this past week. 

We hit the bakery outlet on Thursday and stocked up on some bread products for $9.89 for 9 items.
Then I hit the local grocery store on Saturday and spent $29.00....most of that was on bags of salad kids(on sale $1.99 again), orange juice($1.99), eggs(we were out), margarine(.99¢), fresh asparagus($1.49¢lb), a box of pasta(.79¢-a price I never see here!...should have bought more), and 5 bags of salty snacks($1.99 each).  I try to avoid the salty snacks but the other humans here insist on them.....and then I can't help myself if they are here. bleh.

Anyway, $115.68 spent for the month with half the month to go now.  I'm on track to stay under $300 at this point. Value of foods at $233.53 so my savings rate is just under 50%.  And that's with no coupons used at all this month.

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In terms of leftovers, I'm going into this week with 2 Leeks and a bunch of dinner rolls.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--Lasagna, Salad
MONDAY--Sloppy Joes, Corn

TUESDAY--BBQ Chicken, Asparagus, Rolls
WEDNESDAY--Tuna Sub or Philly CheeseSteak Sub
THURSDAY--Tacos or Taco Salad
FRIDAY--Roast Pork with Dried Fruit, Rolls, Brussell Sprouts
SATURDAY--Leftovers

This menu gives us 6 new meals and 1 night of leftovers.  Tuesday's meal will be grilled out.
I've make Leek Potato soup tomorrow and use it for my lunches (with the salad I bought on Saturday) for the rest of the week. 

 Items needed to buy for this menu are....taco shells and shaved steak for cheesesteaks.  Both are on sale this week at Weis.
We'll be buying milk as usual as well.

The only stock-up opportunities are for paper towels.  I am all out of towels and napkins....I had to pay retail 2 week's ago for an emergency pack of napkins.  Though it pains me to spend money on paper towels, with 2 old dogs, they are a necessity.  So I'll be combining Qs and sale prices and stocking up on paper towels this week.

With what I "need" this week and the paper towel stock-up, I'll spend around $40.  If some deals crops up, then it will be more.

So what is everyone else eating this week?

Sluggy