I just realized I threw out my shopping receipt before blogging it! I know I spent less than $75 and only hit up Aldi. One night last week we just ate leftovers because there was so much food in the fridge. I saved the Lemon chicken and egg rolls for this week. I can try to recreate the list as best I can and post the Meal Menu.
Dairy:
2 2%Milk
Whole Milk
2 dozen eggs
Sharp cheddar 8 ounce block
Monterey Jack 8 ounce block
32oz. Plain Yogurt
Butter
OJ
Steak fillets
Frozen:
Corn
Raspberries
Ice Cream
Produce:
Carrots
Grapes
Pineapple (0.99!!)
2 Avocados
Tomatoes
Spinach
Misc.:
2 Juice
chips
Paprika
Parsley flakes
Cinnamon
Italian seasoning
Cookies
pudding
jelly
chocolate sauce
tortillas
English muffins
hamburger buns
Menu Plan
1. Lemon Chicken, egg rolls, soy broccoli
2. Peach Glazed beef fillets, carrots and garlic potatoes
3. Skillet Beef tamales, chips and homemade salsa
4. Stuff Grilled Chicken, broccoli and flat bread
5. Citrus Chicken with peppers, rice and salad
6. Fried Fish, grilled veggies and chips
7. Easter food with family :)
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Helmet Safety
On Saturday my mom's old church put on a safety awareness with Childrens Hospital. We were planning on taking all three boys but Skyler came down sick and Gavyn ended up taking a late nap. We took Nevin and he had a blast! Was totally unintimidated by the fire engine, tried out the bounce house, ate a bunch of cookies and got fitted for a helmet that only cost $8! He was so proud of his helmet and did not want to take it off. :) I asked the nurse if there was another way to get my 5-year-old fitted and she told me I could bring him to Childrens and do it at anytime. I had not idea that they offered this service for free and that I could still purchase a helmet for $8 at the hospital. Yesterday mom and I took him over and he too was super proud of his cool helmet. If you are interested in doing this call Childrens and make an appointment, you go to the parking garage (they give you a voucher for free parking as well!), pull into the safety check area and take them into the little office. You can also get your carseat checked there as well.
Shopping List Week 2
Aldi $73.55
Dairy:
2 2% milk
2 whole milk
2 biscuit tubes
Cinnamon rolls
Parmesan cheese shredded
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese
32 oz. Yogurt
Butter
Sour cream
Frozen:
Chicken breasts
2 frozen egg roll packs
Raspberries
Misc.:
Bread crumbs
2 veggie/fruit juice
Olives
Veggie oil
Tomato paste
Honey
Light ranch
Chocolate chips
Brown rice
Cinnamon cereal
Raisin crunch cereal
Fruity cereal
Produce:
Package pears
2 bunches bananas
2 bags sweet potatoes
Carrots
Broccoli
Bag of 3 romaine hearts
Menu Plan:
1. Pull apart pizza with salad and pasta (I use the biscuits for the crust)
2. Grilled chicken penne with mozzarella peacan crusted salad
3. Beef Satay fried rice with flat bread and broccoli
4. Oven fried chicken with carrots and home made steak fries
5. Meatloaf with pasta and carrots
6. Pancakes and fruit
7. Lemon chicken with rice, egg rolls and soy broccoli
Dairy:
2 2% milk
2 whole milk
2 biscuit tubes
Cinnamon rolls
Parmesan cheese shredded
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese
32 oz. Yogurt
Butter
Sour cream
Frozen:
Chicken breasts
2 frozen egg roll packs
Raspberries
Misc.:
Bread crumbs
2 veggie/fruit juice
Olives
Veggie oil
Tomato paste
Honey
Light ranch
Chocolate chips
Brown rice
Cinnamon cereal
Raisin crunch cereal
Fruity cereal
Produce:
Package pears
2 bunches bananas
2 bags sweet potatoes
Carrots
Broccoli
Bag of 3 romaine hearts
Menu Plan:
1. Pull apart pizza with salad and pasta (I use the biscuits for the crust)
2. Grilled chicken penne with mozzarella peacan crusted salad
3. Beef Satay fried rice with flat bread and broccoli
4. Oven fried chicken with carrots and home made steak fries
5. Meatloaf with pasta and carrots
6. Pancakes and fruit
7. Lemon chicken with rice, egg rolls and soy broccoli
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Granola Bar Update
I posted my granola bar recipe awhile ago but since then I have played around with it a lot and tried different things. I still make the original recipe but sometimes I make a healthier version. Here is the original recipe and I will tell you what I have changed up.
2c. Quick Oats
1c. Flour
1/2c. Wheat germ
3/4c. Brown sugar
3/4tsp. Salt
3/4tsp. Cinnamon
1/2c. Vegetable oil
1/2c. Honey
1 Egg
2tsp. Vanilla
1/2c. Applesauce or Peanut butter
1c. Raisins or Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan.
Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.
Add wet ingredients (use 1/2c of veg. oil first, use the same cup for the honey and it will slip right out) mix until moistened.
Pat into pan and bake for 30 minutes.
One thing I always add in now is 1/2 cup of flaxseed. Somedays I take out the vegetable oil and add 1/2 cup of Orange Puree or 1/2 cup of Purple Puree (these recipes are from the 'Sneaky Chef' book). When I take out the veggie oil I also add the applesauce even if I am doing the peanut butter. It keeps them moist and adds a better flavor.
2c. Quick Oats
1c. Flour
1/2c. Wheat germ
3/4c. Brown sugar
3/4tsp. Salt
3/4tsp. Cinnamon
1/2c. Vegetable oil
1/2c. Honey
1 Egg
2tsp. Vanilla
1/2c. Applesauce or Peanut butter
1c. Raisins or Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan.
Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.
Add wet ingredients (use 1/2c of veg. oil first, use the same cup for the honey and it will slip right out) mix until moistened.
Pat into pan and bake for 30 minutes.
One thing I always add in now is 1/2 cup of flaxseed. Somedays I take out the vegetable oil and add 1/2 cup of Orange Puree or 1/2 cup of Purple Puree (these recipes are from the 'Sneaky Chef' book). When I take out the veggie oil I also add the applesauce even if I am doing the peanut butter. It keeps them moist and adds a better flavor.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Asked for Recipes
I have been asked about my homemade waffles and chicken nuggets. Both recipes are from cook books and not my own.
Crunchy Chicken Tenders
From: The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine
(I highly recommend this book for any mom with picky eaters! I have taken the concepts and made them my own but use a lot of the recipes on a weekly basis)
1lb chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2c. Whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
1/4 to 1/2c. "Orange Puree"
2c. "Better Breading"
1/2c. Grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil for pan frying
Season chicken with salt. Place flour in a shallow dish. Best eggs with Orange Puree in shallow dish. In a third dish combine Better Breading with Parmesan cheese.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shake off excess, then the egg mixture, and then the Better Breading mixture. Press the breading evenly onto both sides of the chicken. Put on wax paper and store in the fridge for cooking tomorrow or cook immediately.
Oven-bake method (not as brown and crisp, but quicker!)
Preheat oven to 400.
Place tenders on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Turn chicken over once with tongs, then return to oven for another 10 - 12 minutes until cooked through.
Sunday Supper Waffles
From Farm Journal's Homemade Breads
(one of my favorite bread books! Great quick breads, pancakes, muffins...)
1c. Sifted flour
2tsp. Baking powder
1/4tsp. Salt
2 eggs, separated
1c. Milk
1/4 c. Butter, melted
Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a small bowl, using mixer at high speed, best egg whites until stiff, but not dry peaks form; set aside.
Add milk, melted butter and egg yolks to dry ingredients. Using mixer at medium speed, beat just until well blended. Do not over beat. Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter, leaving a few puffs of egg white showing.
Bake batter in a preheated waffle maker.
Makes 14 (7") round waffles
Crunchy Chicken Tenders
From: The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine
(I highly recommend this book for any mom with picky eaters! I have taken the concepts and made them my own but use a lot of the recipes on a weekly basis)
1lb chicken tenders (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips)
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2c. Whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
1/4 to 1/2c. "Orange Puree"
2c. "Better Breading"
1/2c. Grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil for pan frying
Season chicken with salt. Place flour in a shallow dish. Best eggs with Orange Puree in shallow dish. In a third dish combine Better Breading with Parmesan cheese.
Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, shake off excess, then the egg mixture, and then the Better Breading mixture. Press the breading evenly onto both sides of the chicken. Put on wax paper and store in the fridge for cooking tomorrow or cook immediately.
Oven-bake method (not as brown and crisp, but quicker!)
Preheat oven to 400.
Place tenders on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Turn chicken over once with tongs, then return to oven for another 10 - 12 minutes until cooked through.
Sunday Supper Waffles
From Farm Journal's Homemade Breads
(one of my favorite bread books! Great quick breads, pancakes, muffins...)
1c. Sifted flour
2tsp. Baking powder
1/4tsp. Salt
2 eggs, separated
1c. Milk
1/4 c. Butter, melted
Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a small bowl, using mixer at high speed, best egg whites until stiff, but not dry peaks form; set aside.
Add milk, melted butter and egg yolks to dry ingredients. Using mixer at medium speed, beat just until well blended. Do not over beat. Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter, leaving a few puffs of egg white showing.
Bake batter in a preheated waffle maker.
Makes 14 (7") round waffles
Living on 30,000
I have had a couple people ask me how I manage to shop for a family of five and only spend an average of $80 a week. I pride myself on getting good at cutting costs but still making delicious food and not feeding my family crap from a box. I wanted to keep track of how much each meal costs us a day but, I came down with the flu so that did not get done! For this week I will just post my receipt from Aldi and the meal plans of the week. Skyler, Gavyn and I go shopping on Tuesday's while Nevin is at therapy for 2 hours. This week we only went to Aldi and spent a total of $78.53. The only meat that I used for a meal and did not purchase this week was a pork tenderloin that I had in my freezer. I try to watch for good meat sales ( dierbergs 5 for $25 I believe is what it is now) and stock up on things that are cheaper. When I do that I usually save on the regular grocery bill by eat simpler meals that week of things we already had on hand. Some weeks I may spend a little more but some weeks we may only spend $20 because of eating at parents or we just some how have a surplus of food at the house. In the end things just all work out.
OK, here is what we bought:
Meat:
Beef chuck roast
Pork chops
Chicken breasts (frozen)
Kielbasa
Hamburger patties
Dairy:
2 2% milks
Whole milk
32 oz plain yogurt
Large dozen eggs
Misc:
2 crescent roll tubes
2 veggie/fruit juice blend
Apple juice
Chocolate syrup
32 oz ketchup
Olive oil
2 brown rice
Taco mix seasoning
Hamburger buns
Potato chips
Black beans
2 Diced tomatoes
Produce:
Bag of sweet onions (about 5-6)
10 pounds potatoes
2 bunches bananas
Lime
3 garlic heads
Grape tomatoes
Green grapes
Multi color pack sweet bell peppers (3)
2 avocados
2 bags baby carrots
Bag of vine tomatoes
Broccoli crown
Bag spinach
And out of that here is the menu plan for the week:
1. Hamburgers with caramelized onions. Home made waffle fries and salad.
2. Pot roast with baby carrots and potatoes
3. Grilled chicken seasoned with peppercorn and garlic and caramelized onions. Basil, garlic flat bread. Stemmed broccoli.
4. Mexican skillet (this is an all in one kind of dish with corn, tomatoes, peppers ect.) with brown rice
5. Pulled pork with buns and salad.
6. Thai peanut chicken stir fry (also an all in one, it is sort of a salad)
7. Cheesy Mexican chicken with homemade salsa and chips.
Some of my meal plans start out simple and I add what I am in the mood for when I am cooking. Other things I keep simple like the all in one dishes for days I know will be busy. Since I have three small guys I try to keep things straight forward but I also want to expose them to different flavors. I always make out my meal plan on Monday, check the sales and do my list.
Hopefully this week will be better and I can post what we eat in a day, what it costs and more of how I plan.
OK, here is what we bought:
Meat:
Beef chuck roast
Pork chops
Chicken breasts (frozen)
Kielbasa
Hamburger patties
Dairy:
2 2% milks
Whole milk
32 oz plain yogurt
Large dozen eggs
Misc:
2 crescent roll tubes
2 veggie/fruit juice blend
Apple juice
Chocolate syrup
32 oz ketchup
Olive oil
2 brown rice
Taco mix seasoning
Hamburger buns
Potato chips
Black beans
2 Diced tomatoes
Produce:
Bag of sweet onions (about 5-6)
10 pounds potatoes
2 bunches bananas
Lime
3 garlic heads
Grape tomatoes
Green grapes
Multi color pack sweet bell peppers (3)
2 avocados
2 bags baby carrots
Bag of vine tomatoes
Broccoli crown
Bag spinach
And out of that here is the menu plan for the week:
1. Hamburgers with caramelized onions. Home made waffle fries and salad.
2. Pot roast with baby carrots and potatoes
3. Grilled chicken seasoned with peppercorn and garlic and caramelized onions. Basil, garlic flat bread. Stemmed broccoli.
4. Mexican skillet (this is an all in one kind of dish with corn, tomatoes, peppers ect.) with brown rice
5. Pulled pork with buns and salad.
6. Thai peanut chicken stir fry (also an all in one, it is sort of a salad)
7. Cheesy Mexican chicken with homemade salsa and chips.
Some of my meal plans start out simple and I add what I am in the mood for when I am cooking. Other things I keep simple like the all in one dishes for days I know will be busy. Since I have three small guys I try to keep things straight forward but I also want to expose them to different flavors. I always make out my meal plan on Monday, check the sales and do my list.
Hopefully this week will be better and I can post what we eat in a day, what it costs and more of how I plan.
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