This Week on the Dining Table

The "I Am SOOOOO Over This" Edition ........

We got another 5 inches over the last 24 hours.  This isn't boding well for March. bleh.

 

Here's what was planned last week.......

1.  Beef Taco Salad
2.  Salmon, grilled asparagus, yellow squash casserole

3.  Ham & Bean Soup/Asparagus Leek Soup, Bread

4.  Pumpkin Ravioli w/Sauce, Salad(use leftover Alfredo sauce)
5.  Leftovers(Chicken w/Zuke, rice)

6.  Leftovers(Chicken Fajitas or Beef tacos)
7.  Leftovers(Chicken Stir-fry)

 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Beef Taco Salad
2.  Salmon, grilled asparagus, yellow squash casserole

3.  Ham & Bean Soup/Asparagus Leek Soup, Bread

4.  Pumpkin Ravioli w/Sauce, Salad(use leftover Alfredo sauce)
5.  Leftovers(Chicken w/Zuke, rice)

6.  Leftovers(Chicken Fajitas or Beef tacos)
7.  Leftovers(Chicken Stir-fry)

Everything went as planned for some reason I can't fathom why! lolz
Well except I didn't make the squash casserole so that moves to the coming week.


Last week I made 2 trips to grocery stores(but am holding back 1 trip's spending until March) and I spent  $7.74 OOP on $13.96 worth of reg. retail groceries.  I had 2 transactions at Rite-Aid(but am holding back on 1 done after I closed out the books on Feb.)and spend $.23 OOP on $14.87 worth of toiletries, so $7.97 total spending last week.


My spending for February on food/toiletries was posted on Sunday so go have a look if interested.


Leftovers going into this week are asparagus/leek soup and ham/bean soup.

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Beef Stroganoff, rice, veggie
2.  Salmon, Squash casserole

3.  Pasta with meat sauce, salad or soup

4.  Pork filet or Country Fried Steak(diners choice), Steak fries, leftover squash casserole
5.  Pizza, Salad

6.  Leftovers or Soup & fresh bread
7.  Ginger garlic duck & veggie stir-fry, rice

 

 

What I need to buy for this menu......not a thing.  The meat for the stroganoff is cubes of beef roast that we didn't eat for Christmas and has been sitting in the freezer.  The duck breasts are from that great deal at Wegman's a year ago December that are still lurking in the freezer too.
The ready made pizza is from the Snack +Ups Promo from Rite-Aid at the end of Jan. before the Super Bowl that we didn't eat yet.  It's taking up valuable real estate in the freezer so it's getting used NOW!
The salmon, pork filets and the ground beef for the pasta sauce I bought last week when it was super cheap with instant discount stickers on the packages.  I also bought the 2 bags of fresh stir-fry veggies last week on discount too that are being eaten with the duck breasts.
Unless there is an awesome deal I won't be shopping this week except too use the last of my $10 Catalinas I earned the week before last.

 

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 that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The "Christmas is Right Around the Corner & I am Feeling Silly" Edition......

 

 

 

 

 

Onward to the meal planning!

What was planned last week--

1.  Turkey Day Leftovers
2.  Fish, Leftover Coleslaw, Collards

3.  Chicken Parm, Salad, Spaghetti(for Hubs)

4.  Meatloaf, leftover Man & Cheese, leftover Collards
5.  Quiche, Tossed Salad

6.  Pork Chops, Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Potato leftovers
7.  Leftovers or Fend for Yourself Night

 

And this is what actually happened--

1.  Turkey Day Leftovers
2.  Fish, Leftover Coleslaw, Collards

3.  Chicken Parm, Salad, Spaghetti(for Hubs)

4.  Meatloaf, leftover Man & Cheese, leftover Collards
5.  Quiche, Tossed Salad

6.  Broccoli stuffed Chicken Breast, Sugar Snap Peas
7.  Leftovers or Fend for Yourself Night

The Pork chops didn't happen(still thawing in the fridge on Saturday)so that moves to this week.
 

Last week I made 6 trips to 5 different markets and spent a whopping $138.64 on $229.23 worth of groceries.  I cherry picked the good deals at each store.

I bought canned green chiles(because fresh is not an option here)on sale and got $3 in free chicken or beef, so I paid .84¢ for this chicken.....

 

 

I also earned this $10 Catalina Q at Weis.....

I'll use this plus $5 on a Weis gift card(from a Cat Deal a few months ago that didn't work right so they gave me a gift card)to buy our Christmas dinner meat.  Well I'll probably get a Rib Roast so it won't cover that but it will help pay a portion of it.

 

I also did 10 transactions at Rite-Aid, where I spent $4.95 total on $404.47 worth of items there for the week.

Going into this week, in leftovers we have........1 or 2 pieces of quiche, meatloaf, collards, 2 pieces of chicken parm and some sugar snap peas.

I took the last of the turkey from Thanksgiving plus stock I made and constructed a Turkey Noodle Soup on Sunday.......

This is what is leftover of that soup.  I still have a large container of stock which I put into the freezer for later.

With College Boy home I need to cook more food for the next 5 weeks.  I never know when he'll dine with us so we may be eating many many leftovers in the coming weeks. lolz

Here is the plan for this week.........

1.  Pork Chops, Braised Cabbage, Mashed Potatoes(for Hubs and son)
2.  Tacos

3.  Meatball Subs, Veggie TBD

4.  Leftovers or Hamburgers
5.  Chinese Chicken(using my .84¢ chicken) w/Ginger Stir-Fry

6.  Leftovers
7.  Leftovers or Fend for Yourself Night
 

 

What I need to buy for this menu.........nothing, not even sub rolls after College Boy came home from visiting his old work(the bakery)and brought all this home.....

Rolls and more rolls! lolz
Plus a loaf of raisin bread.

I think I'll have to fit in more sandwiches for dinner somewhere now.  8-)

I am up to $232.22 in food spending for December halfway through the month.  This week should be a light spending week with just a few loss leaders to buy.....peanut butter, tomatoes, cereal and frozen veggies.
 

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 that week?

Any great deals on food at your stores this week?

 

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table

The  "Help! We are Buried in Bread Products!!!" Edition.......

 

 

 

#2 son has a job cleaning a local bakery, which means he is usually there at closing time.
And of course he comes homes with leftovers......many leftovers!
I will weigh 600 lbs. by the time he leaves for college in August.....EEK!


Here is what was planned last week--

Sunday--Take-out
Monday--leftover Taco(salad) and Fajitas
Tuesday--Chicken Fried Steak, Veggie, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy(I'll have leftover Pork Chop and Cabbage.)
Wednesday--Burgers on Pretzel Rolls(freezer-Hubs not home for dinner)
Thursday--Duck Breast(freezer), Risotto, Veggie(from freezer)
Friday--Sausage Sandwiches, Veggie(from freezer)
Saturday--Pasta w/Meatballs, Salad

And here is what got cooked last week---

Sunday--Hubs took me out for Chinese
Monday--leftover Taco(salad) and Fajitas
Tuesday--Chicken Fried Steak, Veggie, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy(I'll have leftover Pork Chop and Cabbage.)
Wednesday--Burgers on Pretzel Rolls(freezer-Hubs not home for dinner), Salad
Thursday--Chinese Take-out
Friday--Pasta w/Meatballs, Salad
Saturday--Fend for Yourself Night(I had a big Salad with Fruit and Nuts in it.)

Duck Breast and Sausage sandwiches didn't happen, moving to this week.  I cooked 2 boxes of pasta on Friday and saved half to make Mac and Cheese for Sunday's dinner for this week.

 

As for the food spending update.....I spent a total of $53.86 on $82.98 reg. retail on groceries last week at Weis(PMITA)Markets.  I have spent $162.94 on groceries in May so far.
 

 

Going into the new week, here are the leftovers we have.....1 chicken fried steak, gravy and veggies, pasta and meatballs.
I also have 2 bags of rolls from son's job to work into this menu, not to mention 1 bag of bagels, 2 loaves of round bread and a loaf of pumpernickel rye.....sigh.
I see many many sandwiches in our future....lolz

 

Here is this week's meal plan----

Sunday--Roast Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Carrots
Monday--Leftovers or Fend for Yourself
Tuesday--Duck Breast(freezer), Risotto, Veggie(from freezer)
Wednesday--something easy, French Honor Society Ceremony night, leftovers Mac & Cheese and a veggie?
Thursday--Sausage Sandwiches, Asparagus(bought last week)
Friday--Chicken Sandwiches or Burgers or Crabcake Sammies, Salad
Saturday--Something on bread? or Leftovers
 

What I need to purchase for this menu?.......Nothing as I have everything here.  I will pick up some watermelons this week as they are super cheap for the Memorial Day Weekend.

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

 

Sluggy

Food Spending OCTOBER Week 1, Meal Planning Week 2

 

Another Food Waste Poster from the US Food Administration during World War I

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I never got around to posting a plan so here is what actually got served last week.....at least what little I can remember of last week.....

Sunday--Fish Fry, Chips(as in Fries), Green Beans

Monday--Meatball Subs(homemade)

Tuesday--"BRINNER" This is breakfast for dinner--hash browns, sausage, pancakes, eggs were the options.

Wednesday--Leftovers

Thursday--Corned Beef & Cabbage

Friday--Pizza(I had a gift card)

Saturday--Subway sandwiches

Not a very well-rounded diet last week.  I did dine on spinach salad for lunches myself(we won't talk about the can of ravioli that one day though).  Lunches for the others?.....you'd have to ask them. lol

We did finish up the meatballs, spaghetti and the quiche leftovers from the week before.

The weekly food spending was  a whopping $202.06!  This included reg. purchases, Daughter's spending for work lunches, some stocking up at Weis(pound-me-in-the-ass)Markets and at Big Lots.(More on that later.).
I bought 3.3lbs. of Salmon at Weis,($5.99 lb.) as well as 4 qts. of Greek Yogurt(Cabot for $3 qt.), 8 blocks of Cream Cheese(Weis brand 4 for $5.00), 11 bottles of Ocean Spray Cranberry 100% Juice($2 ea.).  I also did the Buy 10 GG/BC/ assorted brand Items, Get $4 Off Deal.  Not a great deal but I bought the items on sale and used coupons(many of which doubled to $1).  I also did the Pepsico Catalina Deal(Spend $25/Get $5 Cat Q).  Unfortunately the Cat Deals at Weis now are based on Sale price, not Shelf price, so these aren't lucrative as they once were.  But I wanted to get #2 son stocked on junk food so I don't need to buy anymore until next year!lol  As part of that deal I bought 2 x 12 packs of Lipton Tea...they were on sale 2 for $10, I used a $1/2 ManuQ AND I'll get $5 back in my Saving Star account, so in the end the tea got my almost halfway to the $25 I had to spend and the tea ends up costing $4 for both packs.(Word is that SS is taking away the total spend of any coupons so I might have to buy $1 more in Lipton tea to get my $5 back.)

And did I mention that the Catalina Q didn't print?!?!....YET AGAIN even though I was well over the $25 amount?!?!
It just seems to me that not only are the Catalina deals worse(if you can find one!)but a PITA since they never seem to work right around here.....AND I have commented before that they seem to only run them this past year or so for the most processed crap there is!  They use to have a nice mix of items to select from to fulfill these Catalinas so that you could opt for the better, less processed products....Like instead of boxed cookie mixes and Pizza rolls you could get flour instead, or evaporated milk instead of hot chocolate mix, etc.  I use to get some better items and some junky items(at the request of the kids), but more and more I find the only items they offer in these deals are junk and my food bill seems much higher when I do them...even with the Catalina figured in at the end.

I've spent $202.06 of my $400 monthly food budget so far this month and I am not too happy about it overall.

I am going into the new week with these leftovers......Corned Beef and Cabbage.  That is it!

***********************

This week's menu.....

Sunday--Salmon, Asparagus, Coconut Milk

Monday--Hot Dogs, Corn, Beans

Tuesday--Tuna Helper, Brussel Sprouts

Wednesday--Chicken Parmesan, Caesar Salad

Thursday--Tacos Salad

Friday--Rigatoni w/Sauce, Veg. TBD

Saturday--Leftovers

 

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....Lettuce.   We need some fruit this week.  I'll try for $10 or less in food spending this week.

Wish me luck....lol

So what are you cooking at your house this week?

Sluggy

Food Spending July Week 3 & Meal Planning Week 4

Well my mouse seems to be the culprit(ie-my keyboard possession of last week), so I'll be going out to get a new mouse later today.  I know that was worrying all of you.....


I actually went to the store last week!  Well I didn't go to the grocery store but I bought food at Rite-Aid and Big Lots.


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

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--Take-out Italian

SATURDAY--Leftovers
Everything was cooked/served as planned except for the Quiche on Friday.  I didn't get out for a pie crust so we got Italian from the local joint.  I had Lasagna and Hubs had an Italian Sub.  That was all the eating out/take-out we did all week. 

The weekly food spending was $42.36 done in 2 trips to Rite-Aid and 1 trip to Big Lots.  A large chunk of that($33+) was stocking up on Gatorade for #2 Son and Juice.   I didn't darken the door of a grocery store at all last week.  ;-)

 

The regular retail value for all was $132.59 so I had a 68.05% savings rate. 

As I reset my July Food Budget to $300, I now have $158.97 left to spend on food/toiletries this month.  8 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......1 piece of cornbread.

The garden has decided to finally produce something other than radishes, so I have a big pile of green beans and 4 yellow squash going into this week.

***********************

This week's menu.....Hubs has vacation this week, so I am not going to designate which meals for which days.  He might want to be spontaneous(imagine that!lol)and go or do something with little notice so I am keeping my plan loose & flexible this week.

MEAL 1--Dinner out at Ruby Tuesdays(did this already on Sunday)

MEAL 2--Corned Beef and Cabbage

MEAL 3--Grilled  Squash, Hamburgers

MEAL 4--KFC chicken, Green Beans

MEAL 5--Tacos or Taco Salads

MEAL 6--Fried Fish and Squash, Pickles

MEAL 7--?? Leaving open/probably take-out or eating out

What I need to buy this week to serve this menu?.....
Cabbage, Salad Greens and other fresh produce to put into salads.  We also need milk, fruit, lunch meat for Daughter.

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

Sluggy

Meal Plan Monday....January 31st Edition

I'm trying to get back into writing down a Meal Plan for the week.
I run my Meal Plan here at Chez Sluggy from Sunday to Saturday....just so you know.

Here is this week's plan....

Sunday--Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Garlic Potatoes, Gravy, Summer Mix of Veggies in Pepper Sauce
Monday--Potluck Chili, Biscuits or Cornbread(can't decide which)
Tuesday--Macaroni and Cheese , Broccoli
Wednesday--Chicken Parmesan, Salad, Garlic Bread
Thursday--Leftovers-Hubs is not home for dinner
Friday--Kielbasa on Rolls with caramelized Onions, leftover Coleslaw
Saturday--Early Dinner out

Here's why I am serving some of this stuff....

Sunday-- I got a great deal on Saturday on cubed steak, $1.74lb!, so I decided to make this rib-sticker meal.  We even have a big piece leftover for some lucky family member for Leftover Friday!

 Monday--I spent an hour digging through the freezer, reorganizing and finding older things like some skillet steaks and tomatoes from the garden I froze whole and never canned.  I have a container of already cooked ground beef in the fridge to add so it's Potluck Chili time!

Tuesday--Haven't had this dish in awhile.  I've got all the ingredients, so why not?lol

Wednesday--I have some chicken cutlets to use up.  I will have to buy salad greens, but we didn't use the hamburger buns last week for garlic bread so we need to use them for this meal.

Thursday--Hopefully we'll have lots of first rate leftovers for this night.  chicken fried steak, chili, mac and cheez, and maybe some chicken parm.

Friday--I found a ring of Kielbasa in the depths of the freezer.  I have been craving this dish but won't spend $4+lb. for it and it hasn't been on sale around here.  Must remember to stock up when it goes on sale next time....  The coleslaw is leftover from Saturday.

Saturday--Eating out...probably just Hubs and I since Daughter will be off with her friends and #2 son will opt for a night home with WOW and Chicken Tenders.lol   In honor of the Chinese New Year we'll probably hit one of our fav. Asian restaurants during Happy Hour(aka discount hour).


As for what I need to buy to implement this plan?  Just some salad greens and maybe a cucumber...whatever I can find inexpensive in the produce dept. at the store this week.

Other than the perennial item on my list, milk, I don't need to buy anything else this week.
There are some Catalina Promos this week at Weis(I might do the Dog Food one)and Coupon Doublers at Price Chopper NE that might lure me out for cheap or free food items.  But other than that, immediate spending for food being eaten this week is about $8.

So what is going to be on your plate this week?

Check out Organizing Junkie's website HERE to see what other Home Cooks are whipping up this week for their families.

Sluggy