I continued to spend a little more this week to stock up the pantry with a month's worth of basics. My weekly average this year is still well under $140 a week, though.


There was a glitch. I bought 2 gallons of milk, but 2 gallons of milk did not get unloaded from the car. So we'll either do without or I'll go back and get some more!

I spent: $173.05 (Monday, April 27- Sunday, May 3)
Weekly average so far: $122.00

I got:
2# bok choy, 4# white onions, 9# apples, 3 pears, 5# tomatoes, 1 head Romaine, 10# potatoes, 6 cucumbers, 6# bananas, 2.6# grapes, 7# frozen veggies, 6 avocados, 10 mangoes, 10 ears sweet corn

12 cans picante sauce, 6 cans Ranch beans, 4 cans corn, 5 cans refried beans (15 oz), 3 large cans peaches in syrup, 4# white rice, 24# white sugar, 4# brown sugar, 6 oz. ground cumin, can of iodized salt, half gallon apple cider vinegar, 3# dried garbanzo beans, 4# dried black eyed peas, 2 purse size bags of peanuts, 1 box Capri Sun breakfast juice (it's a new product, so I had a good coupon and it only cost 77 cents!)

20 qts. powdered milk, 2# butter, 6 dozen eggs, 4 gallons of milk (but had to toss 2 gallons!), 16 oz. Mexican blend cheese.

100 corn tortillas, 2 loaves whole wheat bread (24 oz. each), 4 boxes Frosted Mini Wheats.

4# pork butt roast, 6# pork chops, 2 chickens, 6 packages hot dogs, 12 oz. chorizo, 9# boneless beef steak.

We're eating: (UPDATED 5/7/09 to reflect some changes. Husband dear is doing most of the cooking, as I had to go to the hospital for contractions and now I'm on meds that make it difficult to do much of anything, especially at the end of the day.)
Sunday: oatmeal, bananas
sandwiches, apples
fajitas, refried beans, corn on the cob

Monday: Mini Wheats, apples
curried chickpeas w/ chard over rice
Beef and Bok Choy Lo Mein, fried rice w/ green onions and eggs

Tuesday: oatmeal, mangoes
leftover fried rice and lo mein
Burrito bowls

Wednesday: oatmeal, bananas
leftover beans, tortillas, and pico
Grilled steak, hot dogs, veggies

Thursday: scrambled eggs, toast, fruit
sandwiches, frozen green beans (yeah, we eat 'em frozen. They're green little popsicles!)
Crockpot pork roast w/roasted root veggies (potatoes

Friday: oatmeal, apples
taco beans and rice
vegetarian tamale pie (I'll try anything once)

Saturday: pancakes or eggs
leftovers from week
pizza (whole wheat crust topped with olive oil, cheese, and tomatoes)
Kids ate all the tomatoes and husband was pretty liberal with the cheese this week.
Pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw.

When we do "Burrito Bowls", I pretty much copy cat Qdoba or Chipotle. I lay it out "bar style" and everyone can customize their bowl or burrito. I make a pot of black beans and onions, some rice w/ lime juice and cilantro (add chopped cilantro after cooking the rice!), diced tomatoes, pico de gallo (jalapenos, onions, and tomatoes), cheese, avocado slices or guacamole, sour cream (well, if it was on sale), and corn. This week I might add mango salsa for kicks.

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, menu

We ended up having some friends over on Saturday, and the car broke down so I made a quick run to the store and hope it holds out! Also, this meant that I had to do my shopping at the more expensive grocery that is right next to our house.

I spent $174.34
Average weekly total: $119.00
(My weekly goal is $140, but some weeks I spend a lot less and some weeks I spend a lot more. I operate on cash, so if I spend $98 one week, I'll have $42 leftover to add to the next week's budget. Although often the cash gets eaten in the form of Sonic Happy Hour drinks.)

It often seems that all of the groceries run really great sales on the same week, and that's when I spend more money.

This week, we had some friends over for a cookout on Saturday so I bought some extra things I usually never get, like 12 pk of Dr. Pepper. I set out a lot of veggie and fruits, but I think I should have bought more junk food (potato chips).

Cookout menu: hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs, fruit plate (strawberries, kiwis, and bananas), veggie plate (green pepper strips, baby carrots), homemade pico de gallo and chips, pretzels, pineapple upside down cake, lemonade, limeade, tea, and sodas.

I got:
11# bananas, 15# apples, 16 organic apples, 2.8# yellow squash, 2# green beans, 2# baby carrots, 1.5# red onion, 1 bunch green onions, 6 green bell peppers, 1 bunch cilantro, 3# strawberries, 6# tomatoes on the vine (for 99 cents a pound!), 3 giant oranges, 1.5# jalapenos
21# frozen veggies,

24 slices American cheese (with Triple the Calcium!), 3 gallons milk

9# ground beef, 6 pkgs. Bar S hotdogs, 1 rotisserie chicken

32 hamburger buns, 16 hot dog buns, 32 oz. tortilla chips, 2 bags Lender's bagels, 2 boxes R-friendly Ritz type crackers, 100 corn tortillas, 2 loaves WW bread, 2 bags pretzels

3 bottles of ketchup, 2 jars dill pickle chips, 1 jar pepperoncinis, 4# white rice, 4# dried pinto beans, 2 cans sliced pineapple

4 boxes cereal, 1 bottle sparkling Pelligrino water (I was thirsty!), 3-12 packs of sodas (friends came over Saturday), 3 cans juice concentrate, 21# ice, 24 pk bottled water


We're eating:
Sunday: Frosted mini wheats, milk
leftover hotdogs, carrots, green peppers, strawberries, kiwis
potato tacos w/ leftover hamburgers

Monday: oatmeal, kiwis
lentil sloppy joes, green pepper strips, apples
Macaroni and cheese w/ white beans and broccoli

Tuesday: bagels and cream cheese, apples
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit
Ham, mashed potatoes, yellow squash

Wednesday: oatmeal
lentil soup (made waaaayyy too much lentil sloppy joes!)
Scalloped potatoes (w/ ham), fresh green beans

Thursday: oatmeal
chickpea, rice, veggie one pot something or other. With curry powder!
taco bar (black beans, probably)

Friday: waffles (If I get around to making them!)
pasta w/ white beans and white sauce, or leftovers
hambone soup w/ black eyed peas and chard (from garden), cornbread

Saturday: oatmeal
leftover soup, or polenta (it was really good!), or both!
Not sure. I never know on Saturdays. Our plans are usually open; I often go to the store on Fri. or Sat.; things come up.

What do you do to entertain on a budget?

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, menu

My goal? Feed my family of 10 for $2, per person, per day ($140 a week).

I spent $121.29
Weekly average this year: $115.54
I'm adding in our "planned snacks" - usually fruit, and in paranthesis I'll not *my* planned snacks (I am on a diabetic diet)

3 pack celery hearts, 12# green apples, 2# fresh green beans, 3.4# bananas, 2# strawberries, 1 pt. blackberries, 25 kiwis, 2 lemons, 5# yellow onions, 5 avocados, 2# mushrooms, 5# carrots, ginger root, 2# bok choy, 1 2/3# daikon radish, 3 1/4# red grapes, 5# frozen broccoli, 25# russet potatoes, 16 roma tomatoes, 2# red pears, 10 heads garlic

2 gallons milk, 5# shredded cheese (for $10! What a deal!), 1# sour cream, 4 pk. generic vanilla Activia yogurt, 6 dozen eggs,

3 loaves bread, 1 box WW rotini, 2 boxes SmartTaste elbow macaroni, 3 pkg. fajita tortillas,

8.5# boneless beef roast

Strawberry tea bags, pancake syrup, 2# cheesecake, 1 pkg. chocolate chip cookies (storebought! Gasp! Kids didn't care, LOL!), TrailMix Crunch with cranberries cereal, 24 oz. ketchup,

I still have 3 heads of cabbage in the fridge, so I've got to fit that in somewhere, too. I'm going to attempt kimchi with some of it, maybe...

We're eating:
Sun Apr. 19 - oatmeal
lunch out (Souper Salad - had a coupon for kids eat free. Manager didn't seem to happy about that... but I didn't print the coupon! Less than $20 total)
breakfast for dinner

Mon Apr 20 - toast and cold cereal (Bought Grape-Nuts Trail Mix for myself - blech! But the kids liked it!)
peanut butter and jelly, pineapple (it's finally yellow! Husband making lunch, I have to take kids to the dentist today)
snack: strawberries, carrots
Pot roast, carrots, potatoes, fresh green beans

Tue Apr 21 - oatmeal
Golden cauliflower soup, toast (cheese toast? Maybe) for dipping
snack: kiwis, (yogurt w/blackberries)
Indian style chickpeas (with zucchini), rice, summer salad

Wed Apr 22 - Breakfast cookies
colcannon (potatoes, cabbage, bacon)
snack: grapes, (yogurt w/ strawberries)
Beef stroganoff, steamed broccoli

Thur Apr 23 - waffles
Cheesy broccoli and noodles
snack: kiwis, veggie sticks
Gingered beef and onions, rice, bok choy

Fri Apr 24 - oatmeal
egg salad sandwiches, oranges, leftover fruit
snack: pears, veggie sticks with yogurt cheese
Black bean tacos w/ fresh pico, coleslaw, jalapeno poppers

Sat Apr 25 - oatmeal
leftovers
What we always have - something to be planned later!

What do you like to snack on?

See more menus at Menu Plan Monday!

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, menu

My goal? Feed my family of 10 for $2 per person per day (Spend $140 on food). We have 2 adults, 7 children age 2-10, and a baby on the way. We follow a Feingold diet for one child and a diabetic diet for mama.

I spent:
$182.65 on food (husband bought dessert, spent $17 and lost the receipt)
Average spent per week this year: $114.03

I stocked up on dairy this week - butter, cream cheese, and shredded cheese were all on sale!
I also got an extra ham, because they were cheap and ham keeps for a couple of months in the fridge.

I got:
126 oz. oatmeal, 2 boxes cereal, 8# brown rice, 7 oz. black pepper, 32 oz. Miracle Whip, 48 oz. canola oil, 1.25# sushi rice, 2 jars spaghetti sauce, jar peanuts, 5 boxes Wheat Thins/Triscuit, 2 loaves WW bread, 2 pkg. WW English muffins,

7# butter, 4# cream cheese, 3 doz. eggs, quart plain yogurt, 4 gal. milk, 24 oz. whipped topping, 3# cheese

2/3# tomatoes, 4# strawberries, 2 pints blackberries 3.5# bananas, 4 mangoes, 1.5# grapes, 9# apples, 1 head Romaine, 3 poblano peppers, 1 small cantaloupe, 4 kiwis, 3# carrots, 3# zucchini, 1 pineapple, 10# frozen veggies

2 hams (24# total), 8.5# pork roast

2 frozen meals, 2/3# deli meat, 2 rolls Mentos, Reeses peanut butter cups, 3 bags chocolate chips, 1 bag mini marshmallows, 1 bag Hershey's kisses, 2 packages dessert shells

I shall endeavor (again) to be slightly more adventurous with the lunches since our breakfast is so boringly beige.

We're eating:
(revised on4/15/09 to reflect what we actually ate)

Sun. Apr 12: blueberry pancakes
eggs, fried potatoes, fruit (small meal pre-Easter dinner)
ham, potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, salad, fruit tart

Mon. Apr 13: oatmeal
eggs, cantaloupe, mangoes, oranges (this was a fiasco. My 9 yo son put away 5 whole hardboiled eggs (plus 6 orange quarters, half a mango, a glass of milk, and a slice of cantaloupe) before I stopped him - my 2 year old ate 3 and a half! Egg salad sandwiches next time, for sure. I actually got mad at the kids and made them stop eating - I was afraid they'd throw up!) (BTW - Atkins was totally wrong about eggs being more filling than bread, apparently. Must. Have. Carbs. at every meal around here!)
Pasta w/ marinara, Cobb salads (ham and eggs on it; I added white beans for more protein. I always wonder if the kids get enough protein.)

Tues. Apr 14: oatmeal (what else?) or egg sandwiches on toast, bananas
hummus/chickpeas on pitas (the kids really liked that!), apples
hambone soup w/ black eyed peas, cornbread, sauteed chard (husband dear has decided he likes chard again.)

Wed. Apr 15: scrambled eggs, pineapple (if it's all yellow by then) (it wasn't.)
leftovers/sandwiches, grapes, the last radishes from the garden
red bean and rice casserole with okra

Thurs. Apr 16: oatmeal
kale w/ polenta (subbing chard for kale, carrots for mushrooms, and adding more onions)
pork roast w/ green chiles; black bean and corn salad, zucchini

Fri. Apr 17: oatmeal because we're boring like that
curried Indonesian bean stew
Mexican food again! Either lentil enchiladas or tostadas with leftover shredded pork.

Sat. Apr 18: Oatmeal or pancakes (husband dear likes to make big breakfasts; depends on if he has to work or not.)
cheesy noodles w/ broccoli (and ham - maybe - although the prospects are not looking good!)
??? Husband wants to go search out some sushi making stuff; possibly fried rice of some sort or Japanese food.

You may have noticed I've been buying bread again. Yes, it's cheaper to make it (and I do think it tastes better) but I'm tired, durnit! Turns out there's a reason convenience foods are so popular!

I also got a couple of frozen meals within the diabetes guidelines for my lunches, for days when I make mac and cheese or other things for the kids. My previous solution was to cook up something special from scratch, then decide not to bother cooking for one person, then snack on cheese or something that probably wasn't enough calories, then end up eating the leftover pasta from the kids, then whacking out my blood sugar... and yes, I do think Salisbury Steak will fix it!

Also it's starting AC season, and I don't know if it makes sense to run the oven AND the AC at the same time. And I'm too tired to figure out the math right now. I might buy a couple of extra breadpans so I can make a weeks worth all at once - it would be more cost effective that way.

Sometimes you just have to know your limits. 32 weeks pregnant + 7 children + new school books/new grammar program + potty training toddler + husband having odd hours at work + starting a garden = give me a break and buy the bread.

Grocery Cart Challenge also has a weekly roundup of grocery receipts!

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, menu

My goal? Feed my family for $2 per person, per day ($140 a week). See my right sidebar for links to each week!

Last week I asked for tilapia recipes - and got some great ones! I planned on making stuffed tilapia, but ran out of time. Then I thought of fried, but ran out of time. By the time I got dinner in the oven, I just put the fish, sliced onions, and dotted with butter. I even forgot to salt and pepper it. It still turned out pretty good.

Why did I run out of time? Someone set the grass around the bayou behind our house on fire. It ended up getting put out with our garden hose, handed over the fence to a policeman, before the fire department showed up.

And then every kid in the neighborhood showed up to find out what happened.

The bayou is where my kids catch their critters.

Then they put them in my mixing bowls.


I spent $98.01. Mostly due to procrastination - I put off going to the store. My "spending week" runs roughly Wednesday to Wednesday, with most of the shopping done over the weekend for the following week. So the shopping for Week 14, Apr. 5-11, took place between Apr. 1-7.

I got:
32 corn dogs, 4# tator tots, half gallon blueberry ice cream, 24 pack ice cream cones, 16 oz. minimarshmallows, 3 rotisserie chickens, 1 loaf whole wheat bread, 1 loaf french bread (no energy to make bread this week.)

84 oz. oatmeal, 18 oz. Kashi Go Lean cereal, 4 boxes whole wheat angel hair, 28 oz. spaghetti sauce, 26 oz. salsa, 64 oz grape jam, 10 oz. blackberry fruit spread, 34 oz. peanut butter, 2 cans pineapple chunks, 1 can mandarin oranges, 2 large jars unsweetened applesauce, 24 oz. raisins

7 doz. eggs, 1# reduced fat cream cheese, 1 qt. half and half

6 mangoes, 3# bananas, large jar of minced garlic, 4# frozen broccoli, 1# frozen green beans, 1# strawberries... some other stuff too but once again, receipt is missing. I'm not the most organized woman, ok?

We're eating:
Saturday, Apr 4 - menu changed, had birthday dinner for X.
corndogs, tator tots, green beans, fruit salad, and cupcakes.

Sunday, Apr. 5 - oatmeal
taco beans and rice w/cheese
corned beef, cabbage, potatoes

Monday, Apr. 6- Dutch baby (eggs are on sale!), orange wedges
spaghetti, apples
chicken, broccoli, french bread, strawberries (plans changed and we were running errands until 8 pm)

Tues, Apr. 7- oatmeal (I'm so predictable)
Homemade version of Spaghettios
White bean pasta with peppers and onions (frozen) More errands, since every place we went on Monday had just closed as we pulled into the parking lot. Yes, three times! So we went out to eat, which blew our entertainment budget for April.

Wed, Apr 8- pumpkin waffles or pancakes kids ate leftovers from restaurant. The kid meals were HUGE!
egg sandwiches, orange wedges
bow tie pasta primavera (just had the girls, the boys went to chess club with husband dear)

Thurs, Apr 9- oatmeal
peanut butter and jelly, cantaloupe
chicken fettucine alfredo, steamed broccoli, strawberry shortcake for dessert (husband dear surprised me!)

Fri, Apr 10- Good Friday -
toast, apples
macaroni and cheese w/peas and carrots, mangoes
burrito bowls (black beans, rice, guacamole, pico, cheese, etc. The kids liked it so much they wanted it again.)

Sat, Apr 11- Pancakes (maybe) or Dutch baby
leftovers
not planned yet due to grocery store procrastination

Look for egg salad sandwiches every day next week... actually, it's not that bad. My kids like hard boiled eggs!

One last peek into our family life:

Labels: cooking, Family Life, Food Stamp Challenge

My goal? Spend $2 per person, per day on food ($140 a week.) Check out my sidebar for previous weeks.

I didn't get around to shopping until Tuesday night. And since this is also my backwards Works for Me Wednesday Post - I'd love to know what everyone spends on groceries! Or if you have a great tilapia recipe! (Check out We Are That Family for more WFMW dilemmas!)

I spent $82.73 on food; my weekly average is $111.29, which absolutely astounds me!



I got:
5# ground beef, 7# boneless chicken breast, 4# tilapia filets

24 oz. ranch dressing, tub of shortening (trans fat and BHT free), 18 oz. generic Cheerios, 14 oz. granola w/ berries, raspberry zinger tea bags, grape jelly, 24 oz. picante sauce, 8 oz. No Yolks noodles, 16 oz. mini farfalle

12# apples, 15# oranges, 5# sweet potatoes, 2 3/4# grapes

2 gallons milk, 2# butter, 1 frozen Kashi meal (lemongrass coconut chicken - see the link for a free coupon on my right sidebar?)

Can of smoked oysters, 8 ct. sushi rolls (didn't shop alone tonight... $8.50 for grocery store sushi???)

The Menu:
Sunday -eggs, fruit
macaroni and cheese w/ peas and carrots
went to Denny's (entertainment budget, not food. Yeah, we're blowing the tax money as fast as we can, LOL!)
Mon. Mar 30 - oatmeal
tostadas
Pasta primavera w/peppers, onions, and tomatoes; asparagus
Tues. Mar 31 - oatmeal, oranges
girls at leftovers, boys at ranch style beans w/ hominy
Frozen pizza, broccoli
Wed. Apr 1 - Cheerios w/ milk
Egg salad sandwiches, celery and carrots, cantaloupe
black beans and sweet potato concoction... probably with curry, and spanish rice
(I bought the sweet potatoes planning to have them with pork chops, but the store was out of the sale pork so I ended up with no meat. So I'll make something up and the family will either love it or hate it. It won't kill them. I'm vaguely thinking of a ropa vieja type dish but with carribbean flavor and no meat.)

Thurs. Apr 2 - granola (homemade, this recipe. It tastes good, but I like granola clusters and chunks and this more like flavored oats.)
split pea soup w/ barley and carrots
Meatloaf, mashed potatoes,

Fri. Apr 3 - oatmeal
burrito bowls (If Chipotle can do it, so can I!)
Tilapia something - I'm really bad at cooking fish. We rarely have it and I don't like fish all that much - anyone have any really great recipes? Leave it in the comments!

Sat. Apr 4 - oatmeal (when I don't make oatmeal, the littles beg for it. Mr X's morning is not complete unless he's had a bowl)
leftovers or lentil soup
Chicken/broccoli w/ white sauce, served over rice (you know, that Campbell's chicken and rice casserole, but deconstructed because I have to limit my rice.)

A word about snacks. Snacks at our house are almost always fruit. My boys like to split a can of Ranch Style beans when I let them. This is why I buy pounds and pounds of apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes. You'll notice most "snacky" food doesn't appear on my grocery receipts - if I don't buy cookies, potato chips, and Hot Pockets, the kids have no choice but to eat healthy food!

It also really helps keep my budget in check. For example, I bought 15# of oranges for $6 - the cost of two bags of Oreos or two 6-packs of Danimals yogurt. 15# of oranges = over 30 fruits, or 5 times as many snacks as the yogurt.

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, menu, Works For Me Wednesday

Big plans this week! My parents and sister are coming for a visit, so our plans are a little out of the ordinary. Also, I'm still stocking up the pantry/hurricane stash after eating everything last month!

I spent $133.94 $217.46
I'm planning to add to this, so watch for an update. I need to buy more meat for our cookout - just waiting for a new loss leader on Wednesday. I'll update the weekly average when I know I'm done.

I'm down to one store for meat - I had to return a vacuum packed pork tenderloin to Kroger! (I subtracted $6 from this week's total to reflect a more accurate account of what I spent last week)

I think they leave their meat out for too long before wrapping it. I've had to return meat (more than once) to both Mexican groceries and Kroger; looks like HEB is my one-stop meat shop right now. I usually shop late at night so butcher shops are out for me, and we looked into ordering half a cow but it was much too expensive, averaging $4-5 per pound of meat.

I got:
4# small red beans, 2# lentils, 8 # pinto beans, 2# black eyed peas, 2# black beans, 1# split peas, 8# brown rice, 4# white rice, 28 oz. alphabet noodles, 4# white sugar, 7 oz. mesquite barbecue seasoning

24 oz. light sour cream, 4 gallons milk, 2.5# shredded cheese, 10 qts. powdered milk

12# pork ribs, 4# hamburgers, 14 oz. jalapeno smoked sausage, 32# beef brisket, 2 pkg hot dogs

4 cantaloupes, 6# oranges, 2 heads red leaf lettuce, 2 bunches fresh spinach, 6 bunches green onions, 5# carrots, 6# apples, 2.6# Roma tomatoes, 1 bunch cilantro, 2 jalapenos, 3 2/3# zucchini, 2# bananas, 6 mangoes, 3# strawberries, 4# bananas, 1# eggplant, 2# calabacita, 1 1/2# green cabbage, 4# green grapes

28 oz. can whole tomatoes, 1 lg. jar dill pickle slices, 1 jar Chili Garlic sauce, 1 bottle oyster sauce (MSG free! Yay!), 3 cans crowder peas, 3 cans picante sauce, 4 cans Ranch beans, 2 large jars unsweetened applesauce, 1 gallon white vinegar, 5 bottles (2 qt) apple juice, 48 oz. canola oil, 1 bag mini marshmallows, 3 cans corn, 18 oz. ketchup

1/3# sliced jalapeno cheese, 1/2# roast beef, 12 slices cheddar, 16 ct. fried chicken, prosciutto wrapped mozzarella cheese ball (see why I shop alone?)

1 bag Texas shaped pretzels, 1 bag pretzel twists, 16 hamburger buns, 200 corn tortillas, 2 loaves whole wheat bread (I have my oven back! Hopefully the bread expense will go down. After baking our own for a while, bagged bread doesn't taste as good, either!)

We're eating:
Sunday, 3/22:
Oatmeal
peanut butter sandwiches, apples, milk
hot dogs, ranch and navy beans, broccoli/cauliflower mix

Monday, 3/23:
Oatmeal
egg salad sandwiches, cantaloupe
Red beans and rice w/ okra mix (It's not jumbalaya, it's not red beans and rice - it's Louisiana casserole, I guess!) (I also ate 3 oz. roast beef and two slices of cheddar)

Tuesday, 3/24:
Grape nuts with milk, apples
Gumbo
Eating at sister's house w/ parents

Wednesday, 3/25:
Oatmeal, oranges
Pintos and cheese, corn tortillas, salad
Eat out at restaurant (probably)

Thursday, 3/26:
Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns
Pasta salad - olives, white beans, chard, whole wheat penne
Cookout - hamburgers, ribs, grilled zucchini, salad, pretzels, cantaloupe

Friday, 3/27:
Oatmeal, cantaloupe
Apples w/ peanut butter dip, roasted chick peas, or maybe eat out.
Lentil enchiladas, refried beans, pico de gallo

Saturday, 3/28:
Oatmeal
Macaroni and cheese w/ broccoli, oranges
TBD

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, menu

My goal? To feed my family of 10 for $2, per person, per day.

Well, I didn't manage to buy a full 30 day supply of staples. WalMart is where I buy most of them, and they were out of powdered milk, salsa, brown rice, the pasta I like to get, and unsweetened applesauce. We'll try again next week.

I spent $221.30 on food this week. My receipts are very complicated this week, because our tax refund arrived and I spent a lot of money on non-food items (such as pencils, erasers, 20 pairs of socks, a new trashcan, and more...)
Our new weekly average is: $104.24

I got:
18 boxes of whole wheat pasta, 15# AP flour, 25# whole wheat flour, 5# cornmeal, 4# brown sugar, 1 box vital wheat gluten, 2 cans salt

4# popcorn, 4# navy beans, 3# garbanzo beans, 1# pearled barley

2 bottles spicy brown mustard, 1 large can diced tomatoes, 1 large can crushed tomatoes, 3 small cans tomato paste, 2 jars spaghetti sauce, 130 oz. creamy peanut butter, 1 jar grape jam, 2 cans black olives, 1 can sauerkraut, 1 gal. white vinegar, 16 oz. salad dressing

100 tea bags, large can Folger's coffee, 1 bag mini-marshmallows, 4 loaves of whole wheat bread (still no oven), 8 large cartons (42 oz.) oatmeal, 1 bottle pancake syrup, 1 box raisin bran, 1 box frosted mini-wheats

4# butter, 5 1/2 doz. large eggs, 4 gallons milk, 2# cheese

17# corned beef (we froze some!), 3# pork tenderloin, 1 frozen pizza

3.3# onions, 5# bananas, 11.5# cabbage, 3# asparagus, 12# apples, 10# frozen veggies, 1 large cantaloupe

75 cookies from the bakery, 1 box of Rice Krispy treats

What we're eating:

Sunday, Mar. 15- ate out after spending a fortune at Ikea. Does it count as stimulating the economy if all the money goes straight to Sweden?

Mon., Mar. 16 - oatmeal, apples
taco beans and rice
Spaghetti, broccoli

Tues., Mar. 17 - oatmeal, bananas
peanut butter sandwiches, milk
Corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, and cookies for dessert. St. Patrick is one our
family's patron saints, and I still don't have an oven!

Wed., Mar 18 - cold cereal with milk
egg sandwiches, green beans
White bean pasta salad with black olives and chard, salad
*** Update - we had angel hair with white beans, caramelized onions, and asparagus. I *forgot* that I had bought a ton of asparagus this week! Also added a pound of frozen peas so it would have more "green" than "brown". Served with balsamic vinaigrette. I double the white beans in my portion, and finally ate a bowl of pasta that didn't make my blood sugar go crazy!

Thurs., Mar. 19- oatmeal, cantaloupe
macaroni and cheese w/peas and carrots
***Update - we ate leftover pasta instead. I made 2 boxes of angel hair with 3# of veggies and it created a giant pot o' stuff that I might have to freeze before we get sick of it!
Pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli blend
*** Update - making this in crockpot - still don't have an oven! Pineapple/apricot jam on the pork is really, really good (even if husband dear prefers green chile anything on it instead.)

Fri., Mar. 20 - oatmeal, misc. fruit
Lunch? Hmm... we'll see how much bread we have left. We might end up with deviled eggs and veggie sticks (Love deviled eggs, hate DEVILING 2 doz. eggs for the hungry masses!)
vegetarian chili, corncakes, salad

Sat., Mar. 21 - oatmeal
sandwiches, leftovers
Pizza if we have an oven, if not... dunno...

Are you a frugal foodie? How did you save money in the kitchen this week?

Leave your link here and don't forget to link back!

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal Foodie, menu

We need to restock the pantry in a bad way. I plan to buy a month's worth of food (shelf stable staples), and make weekly grocery runs for the perishables (milk, produce) and loss leaders.

But how much to buy? There are many online calculators you can check, but they weren't specific enough for *my* family. Fortunately, I know how much we eat at a meal, how many meals we eat, and how often we serve certain foods.

So, if I figure out how much it takes to make one meal's worth of a food, and multiply it by how many times per week or month we eat that as part of our meals, I'll know about how much I need in a month.

This is the part where 5th grade word problems come back to haunt you!

Breads, Rolls and Baking:
I make my own bread, and use 3/4 c. AP flour, 2 c. WW flour, and 1/4 c. bran for each loaf. Each bag of flour contains 16-17 c. 5# of AP flour will make 20 loaves of bread, give or take; 5# of WW flour makes about 8 loaves of bread.

We eat about 8 loaves of bread per week (including making pitas, rolls, and pizza crust which use a similar ratio), so I need 5# of WW flour each week to make bread, or 20# a month. 2 bags of AP flour will make bread for the month, plus a little extra for birthday cakes, treats, and gravy making. I'll also need 8 c. of oat or wheat bran, but it weighs nothing so I'm going to eyeball it.

We seem to go through 4# of sugar a week. I know, it's a terrible amount! I blame Texas Sweet Tea, which I can't stand but husband lives off of. So, 16# sugar. (I'll break that up to 12# white sugar, 4# brown sugar)

Oil - 48 oz. canola oil every two weeks, or 96 oz. a month.

We also use about 5# of cornmeal per month.

(How do I know the oil and cornmeal? I saved my receipts and looked back to see how much I bought!)

Rice, Grains, other starches:
We generally eat rice at least 5 times per week, whether it's in soup or stir fry for lunch, or as a side at dinner. My family eats 3 c. of uncooked rice per meal, approximately 2#. So, I need 10# per week, or 40# per month.

We eat oatmeal almost every day. One 42 oz. carton contains 30 servings, and I make 10 servings per day. So, we'll go through 2 cartons per week, 8 per month.

Pasta (whole wheat or fiber enriched) - 2 boxes per meal; eat 4-5x per week. So, 10 boxes per week, or 40 boxes per month.

Other misc. grains: Barley, maybe 1-2 times per month; popcorn, 1 1/2# per week or 6# per month; quinoa, maybe 1x per month.

Beans
We eat beans at least once a day, whether it's split pea soup for lunch, roasted chickpeas for a snack, or a side of pintos with enchiladas. I'm guesstimating 30# for the month (although I really thinks it's probably higher!)

I use white beans a lot, because they are so versatile, the kids love garbanzos, pintos are great because we eat a lot of Mexican based dishes. So we'll get a variety.

Seasonings and Extras
These are the key to making those from scratch staples taste delicious!
Salt, pepper, spices, vinegars, chiles, onions, and garlic all need to be stored, as well. We use 12-15# onions a month, and they keep well. I usually buy a giant jar of already minced garlic - it keeps better and is often cheaper per oz. than the equivalent amount of fresh garlic.

Peanut butter - 36 oz. a week, or 144 oz. a month. Jelly - two large jars. Powdered milk (to have on hand, right now fresh milk is cheaper per gallon!), 10 qts., 100 ct. tea bags, and don't forget coffee!

If we were in a dire situation, I'd just stick with rice and oatmeal, but it's nice to have variety!

We also eat a lot of unsweetened applesauce. Mr R won't swallow pills, so we mix it into a cup of applesauce, and I also try to use it in place of oil when I bake sweet breads. I'll guesstimate a large jar per week - it really depends on if I baked or not.

So my "list" includes: (Prices are what I expect to pay, based on past receipts)
25# of Whole Wheat flour (a little more than I *think* I need, after all Easter is coming!) ($15)
15# of All Purpose flour ($5)
oat bran/wheat bran ($5)
5# cornmeal ($2)
12# white sugar ($5)
4# brown sugar ($2)
2# powdered sugar (in case I need to make frosting) ($1.50)
96 oz. canola oil ($5)
40# brown rice ($32)
8 cartons (42 oz.) oatmeal (I haven't found a bulk source that is cheaper than buying it in the cartons, where it costs 5¢ an ounce or 80¢ per pound) ($18)
40 boxes pasta ($50)
2# barley ($2)
6# popcorn ($6)
30# dried beans ($30)
8 sm. jars peanut butter (the small jars are cheaper per ounce than the large jars, I don't know why!) ($11)
2 jars jelly ($4)
salt (.50)
white vinegar ($2)
garlic powder ($5)
cumin ($4)
black pepper (???)
tea ($1.50)
coffee ($6)
powdered milk ($7)
15# onions ($4.50)
400 corn tortillas ($3)
garlic jar ($5)
4 jars unsweetened applesauce

I figure that all this should cost total: $240 (I'll also pick up a bunch of canned goods, TBD, and check out the meat sales. The freezer is part of the pantry!) I'm budgeting $300 total to stock a month of food (plus $100 or so for this week's groceries, produce, meat, milk, etc.)

$240? For 300 meal's worth of beans, rice, grains, and spices? That amount sounds awfully low.

I'll let you know if the planning worked, or if we ran short next month!

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal

My goal? Feed my family for $2 per person, per day. ($140 a week)

Last week husband dear did most of the shopping and lost the receipts. He used his debit card, so I do have amounts, I just don't remember a lot of what we bought!

For week 10, we spent $90. I did get some sesame oil, mung beans, nori wrappers, and spring roll wrappers at the Asian store. Kroger had some awesome over-ripe produce deals - I got 16 nectarines for $2, 10 plums for $1, 3 artichokes for $1, and two bags of vine ripe tomatoes for $2. I bought 4 heads of lettuce for 88 cents each (wish I could really stock up on that, but it goes bad too quickly!) We also bought oatmeal, and eggs, and some premade meatballs... it gets fuzzy after that! Randall's had some deals, and I got 40 lbs of potatoes for $8 (and a bag of Oreos for $1.29!)

At the Mexican grocery, I got 8 lbs. of dried pintos for $4 and 8 lbs. of white rice for $3. I cannot eat white rice, but I still have some brown in the pantry that I'm making for myself. One night we spent $29.00 on rotisserie chickens (3), macaroni salad, and tortilla chips (my birthday!) and that amount is included in the $65.00 total.

Basically, we ate everything that was left in the pantry and our meals weren't planned, either.

We ate: spaghetti and meatballs, homemade pizza, cream of potato soup with whole wheat bread, pancakes and eggs, white bean pasta salad, and had a meal of rotisserie chickens, macaroni salad, and tortilla chips. We ended up with a chicken left over (we bought 3) and also made chicken tortilla soup.

Today I'm going on a major run to the stores. My goal is buy a month's worth of staples to restock our empty pantry, and I plan to spend $300 on food. You can see a nifty calculator here, to see how much they calculate your family needs for a year. I had to laugh to see that for my family, they recommend I lay in a store of 45 lbs. of KoolAid and 10 lbs. of Jell-O!

This is why I keep a running total of food costs. I did not start out with empty cupboards, but I *will* have to replace what we use. Over the course of months, everything will even out, and pantry stock accounted for. Yes, we ate some bulgur that was in the pantry before I started tallying the food; but when I replace the bulgur we eat, the cost will show up in the totals (even if we don't eat it that week or month).

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, menu

We're having a cold snap - the heater's on! I had grand plans to bake a bunch of bread, and try this out. Then the oven door exploded into a thousand cubes of safety glass. Hmmm...should I give up the oven for Lent?

(Gratuitous shot of curly red baby head - cuz it's my blog and my mom reads here!)


Baby Faith has anencephaly, and was supposed to die (actually, "be terminated" if the doctors had their way.) She's 3 weeks old now, and so beautiful, fat, and pink! Her mother is a single college student, and she is so encouraging!

I've just discovered Twitter, but I doubt I'll ever be this addicted. Mama Says: If someone breaks into your home, call the cops. Don't twitter it and then set up a live stream!

Tide laundry detergent has a program that provides washing machines, dryers, and free laundry services to victims of natural disasters. Who knew? You can buy a t-shirt to support the cause.

Interesting article about organic food from MotherJones magazine.

Food Stamp Challenge - husband did the shopping, and lost the receipts. Also, I didn't make a menu plan. I'll add in the numbers to next weeks post, to keep and accurate tally going, and blog new menus next week!

Speaking of organic food - we have our first harvest!


(We ate some chard shoots that I had to thin, but I don't think that counts.) The chard is growing fabulously, but the spinach is anemic and slow. Maybe this cold snap will wake it up!

Labels: 7 Quick Takes, black thumb, cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Linky love, Prolife

My goal? Feed my family of 10 for $2, per person, per day. ($140 a week).

I'll admit it - we are scraping by this week until Friday (payday!)

Now, the amount I spent was a little complicated. That pork roast from the store I buy produce - never meat -from had to go back, because it spoiled before it's sell-by date. Yeah, that's why I never buy meat there... but it was such a good sale and it looked so nice on the shelf...

So I got a refund of $6.93 from last week's receipt.


I spent:
$37.71; take away $6.93 that was already accounted for last week, and the total is $30.78
Average per week - $92.81 (watch for this to go waaaayyy up next week, the pantry's bare and we've eaten through my stock of food!)

I got:
4# green cabbage, 5# carrots, 3# onions, 10# potatoes, 2 heads Romaine, 2# strawberries (wash them well!), 9 golden delicious apples, 12 red pears, 3# tomatoes, 1 large cantaloupe.

2 doz. eggs, 2 gal. milk,

8 cans Hatch picante sauce, 42 oz. oatmeal, 18 oz. peanut butter, 1# chickpeas

14# ice, a Butterfinger bar.

We ate/are eating: (for more menus than you can shake a stick at, check out Laura's Menu Plan Monday!)

Saturday, Feb. 28: b- oatmeal
l - leftovers
d- Green chile pork chops, spanish rice, salad

Sunday, March 1: b - pumpkin "cake" (it's baked in a bundt pan, but I use applesauce, whole wheat flour, and half the sugar in the recipe so it's actually healthy!)
l- taco beans and rice (another surprise kid hit - pintos, rice, tomatoes, taco seasoning cooked up and topped with cheese)
s- popcorn, chard (had to thin the garden!)
d- Chicken soup w/ onions, potatoes, carrots, and alphabet noodles

Monday, March 2: b - oatmeal
l - chicken soup
s- red pear, sprouts w/salt
d- curried bean stew (minus tomatoes) - HEB, your "hot" curry powder is shamefully mild!

Tuesday, March 3: b- chocolate malt-o-meal
l - egg fried rice (3 c. rice, 3 eggs, 2# asian style veggies)
s- strawberries
d- whole wheat pizza w/fresh tomatoes and peppers, salad

Wednesday, March 4: b- oatmeal
l - peanut butter and honey sandwiches, apples
s - carrot sticks w/ sesame garlic yogurt cheese
d - chicken tortilla soup

Thursday, March 5: b- corn muffins
l - hummus on pitas (again, but the kids love chickpeas), sprouts
s- cantaloupe slices
d- colcannon (bacon, cabbage, and potato casserole type dish)

Friday, March 6: b- oatmeal
l- macaroni and cheese
s- uh, hmmm, well... dunno. But it's payday so I'll hit the store for more fruit)
d- vegetarian gumbo (didn't eat it last week due to lack of planning on the beans. We had spaghetti with white beans last Friday instead).

Check out The Grocery Cart Challenge to see how to feed 6 on $60!

Are you a Frugal Foodie? Share how you saved money in the kitchen or YOUR food budget here!

Leave your link here and make sure to link back!

Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, menu

A lot of people think that they cannot afford to eat healthfully. I disagree. We eat a lot of fresh (and sometimes frozen) fruits and vegetables, and I fit them in our budget. Food for thought: this week I bought 5# of Red Delicious apples for $2.99, the same price as a bag of Oreos!

See this post for a picture of fresh fruit and veggies bought for under $25.

How can you save money on produce?

1. I buy through loss leaders. A loss leader is something sold dirt cheap on the front of a grocery store ad, with the intention of getting you through the door so you'll do all your shopping at that store.

2.I buy in season. In December, we ate frozen veggies (10/$10 at Kroger, they run the sale 2x a month or so), kale, cabbage, carrots. Now kale is a little more expensive, but kiwis and oranges are dirt cheap. Last week, I paid 20 cents for navel oranges, and a quarter each for kiwis, and apples are really cheap right now, too.

As we head through spring and summer, we'll eat nectarines and plums as they get cheaper. Around the end of June, corn gets cheap - 6 or 8 for a dollar.

3. I usually don't buy organic, even though I would like to. I do keep an index card in my wallet with a list of the "top 10 dirtiest" so I can avoid them, or at least be aware and make informed choices. This doesn't mean I would never buy spinach, but it does mean that I might skip strawberries except for a couple times per year, peel the peaches, and wash the bell peppers thoroughly. I don't worry as much about bananas and oranges, because they have a thick peel (I do not use zest or candy the peels, though); but I always peel the potatoes (even though *I* love chunky skins on mashed potatoes!)

My goal with organic eating is to make changes where it will have the most impact, which, for kids, means I want to start with organic milk. Wash your veggies, or use a veggie wash (make your own!) and don't stress too much.

4. Also, I always hit the markdown rack. Our local Kroger marks down produce in the evening - 4-5# bags of bananas for 99 cents, or this week I got 2 4-packs of organic bell peppers for 99 cents each.

5. I'm growing my own. I make my own organic sprouts (you need a mason jar, water, and beans - it's easy!) and planted a garden. I haven't harvested much from our little garden, but the spinach, radishes, and chard are doing well and I've started the peppers indoors. (The lettuce and beans never came up.) Note: Never sprout kidney beans!

6. I buy frozen when it's cheaper (and it almost always is, for broccoli). Frozen veggies have as many vitamins as fresh, are picked when they are at their peak, and are already prepped. When I open a bag of frozen broccoli, I don't have any waste. Kroger very often runs 10/$10 sales on their frozen veggies, and I stock up. Other stores often run similar sales; a good BirdsEye coupon + a loss leader sale can even get you veggies for free!

7. I shop off the beaten path. Ethnic grocery stores usually have rock bottom prices. When I lived in Denver, I shopped at KoMart, a Korean market. In Houston, I shop at Fiesta Mart or FoodTown, which are Mexican markets. (I usually only buy produce there, the prices on other items are much higher than other stores!) Throughout summer, farmers markets and roadside stands can offer great deals.

8. I always cruise the produce aisles of every grocery store, because you'll never know when you'll get a deal. Then, I change the menu plan accordingly. One week, I happened by a display of eggplant and did a double take. They were marked 25¢ - not per pound, but a quarter each! I bought a ton and we had eggplant in spicy tomato sauce, eggplant with white beans, and eggplant dip that week!

How do you save money on fruits and vegetables?

Labels: black thumb, cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, health

See all Food Stamp Challenge posts here.

My goal? Spend $2 per person per day on food. $140 a week, for our family of 10.

Week 5 and 7 are MIA because I did not go shopping that week and we ate out of our pantry.

I spent $109.59 (and $17 on vitamins).

Average spent per week so far: $103.86
(I'm really surprised it's this low, although we are eating vegetarian for most lunches, and eat oatmeal or hot cereal for breakfast most days. Also, I make a lot of things from scratch.)


What I got:
1 doz. eggs, 2 gallons milk, 32 oz. plain yogurt, 2# shredded cheese

5# cornmeal, 4# sugar, 8# quick oats, 1 box complete pancake mix (at 99¢ for 32 oz, it's cheaper than mixing up my own!), 1 box Multigrain Cheerios (sale + coupon = .67 for the box!), 200 corn tortillas, 12 pkg. ramen noodles (per husband's request - YUCK!), 14 oz. alphabet noodles, 3 cans picante sauce, 6 cans hominy, 2 cans Ranch Style beans, 1 bottle ketchup

17 navel oranges, 24 apples, 1 head cauliflower, 8 organic bell peppers (red, yellow, and green mixed, on the reduced rack for $2 total), 21# potatoes, 5# carrots, 2 poblano peppers, 4# white onions, 2 1/2# Roma tomatoes, 4# green cabbage.

1# dried garbanzo beans, 1# pearled barley, 1# blackeyed peas, 2# dried white beans, 1# dried black beans, 8# rice.

2# frozen gumbo mix, 2# frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix, 2# frozen garden blend

3 chickens, 3# boneless beef steak, 5# pork roast, 11# shank ham

...and 3 bags of half off Valentine's candy. The chocolate's for me, the conversation hearts are potty training bribery.

I found a fabulous new resource at the library - The Vegan Lunchbox Cookbook. Every once in a while I'll click over to the Vegan Lunchbox blog and admire her lunches. I knew there was a cookbook, but wasn't ever interested because we're not vegans, and there's no way I have the time to make such intricate and pretty lunches for 8 people everyday.

But, the cookbook is great! I'm trying a ton of recipes this week. Our lunches had become throw-together ho-hums, and I apparently need to eat more food -I've lost weight for two months inexplicably, and I'm down to my prepregnancy weight, more or less. And I still have 3 1/2 months to go! My problem is that I am not hungry, more or less. If I didn't have 7 little stomachs yelling for food all the time, I'd probably forget to eat altogether!

I'm hoping that carefully planning lunches and snacks will help with that.

I'm also hoping to mix up our grains, so if we have malt-o-meal (wheat) for breakfast, we don't also have pasta (wheat) for lunch, bread (wheat) for a snack, and bulgur (wheat again!) for dinner. Or cornmeal mush for breakfast (the kids don't want oatmeal everyday... so okay... I'll try anything once!), polenta for lunch, popcorn for a snack, and tacos for dinner all in the same day.

What we're eating:
Recipes in green are from The Vegan Lunchbox Cookbook.

Sat., Feb 21: Lunch, snack: Peanut butter and jelly, apple, orange
Dinner: Chicken fajitas, pepper strips, Spanish rice

Sun., Feb 22: Lunch, snack: Golden Cauliflower soup, apple, pepper strips
Dinner: Ham, baked potatoes, peas

Mon., Feb. 23: Lunch, snack: Tostadas, pepper strips, "cheesy" roasted chickpeas
Dinner: Pasta Carbonara w/broccoli and fresh tomatoes

Tues., Feb. 24: Lunch, snack: Corn pone muffins w/pintos, mixed veggies, orange
Dinner: Waikiki Chicken (stupid name for recipe from WalMart kiosk), broccoli, rice.

Wed., Feb. 25: Lunch, snack: Baked cream cheese spirals, apple, bread
Dinner: Fish tacos, cole slaw (didn't actually make them last time!)

Thur., Feb 26: Lunch, snack: hummus and sprout pitas, honeybee balls
Dinner: Hambone and black-eyed pea soup, cornbread

Fri., Feb. 27: Lunch, snack: Leftovers or sandwiches.
Dinner: Vegetarian gumbo with red beans, rolls or cornbread. (I love cornbread and could eat it every day!)

BTW- Baby X ate three bowls of the cauliflower soup! I made it with fewer potatoes than called for because I have to eat like a diabetic, but it still turned out tasty.

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal Foodie, Linky love

My goal? To spend $140 per week on food for 10 people, which is $2 per person per day.

If you recall, we had a super challenge the last couple of weeks. We spent around $50 here and there. This week, I spent $225 restocking the pantry.

What we got this week:
15 green bell peppers, 6 red bell peppers, 2 large poblano peppers, 12# apples, 12 navel oranges (look at 'em! They're the size of the cantaloupe, for a quarter each!), 2 cantaloupes, 1 bunch kale, 1.5# fresh broccoli, 1 medium eggplant, 2# zucchini, 8 kiwis, 3 limes, piece ginger, 1.5# asparagus, 15# potatoes, 2 heads cabbage, 3 heads romaine lettuce, and 5 tomatoes.

I love the Mexican grocery store. We got all of this fresh food for less than $25!


1.5# whitefish, 3/4# baby octopus (for husband), 7# pork chops, 2# Italian sausage, and 4 whole chickens.

7 packages assorted small pasta, 6# brown rice, 4# white rice, 2# garbanzos, 1# lentils, 1# split peas, 1# navy beans, 1# red beans, 4 boxes WW spaghetti, 2 boxes WW rotini, 2 boxes WW penne, 3 jars spaghetti sauce (I love when they discontinue flavors. They were 60 cents each!), large jar salsa, 100 ct. tea bags, 10.5# quick oats, 1 box whole grain cream of wheat, 1 box chocolate malt-o-meal, 2 cans oyster stew, 1 can black olives, 3 large cans crushed tomatoes, 3 small cans tomato paste, 1 can pineapple slices, 1 jar pineapple apricot jelly (so good on pork chops), 56 oz. creamy peanut butter, and 2 large jars unsweetened applesauce.

48 oz. canola oil, 34 oz. olive oil, 15# WW flour, 10# AP flour, 12# white sugar, 4# brown sugar, 6 oz. dried cranberries, 1 can salt, large carton baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and 16 oz. slivered almonds.

3 dozen large eggs, 4 gallons milk, 3# butter, 1# sharp cheddar cheese, 1 can whipped cream, and 3 pkg. hot dogs.

2# frozen spinach, 2# froz. peas, 2# peas and carrots, 4# broccoli cuts, 2# broccoli and cauliflower, 2# frozen blackberries, and 2# frozen blueberries.


I also spent another $40 on diapers, dish soap sandwich bags, aluminum foil, and assorted food storage/paper goods. We were out of everything!


What are we gonna eat? (besides peanut butter!)

Saturday, Feb. 7: salad, chicken tacos, pintos

Sunday, Feb. 8: Stuffed bell peppers, bread

Monday, Feb. 9: Pork chops, peas, asparagus, brown rice

Tuesday, Feb. 10: ratatouille, rice, salad with white beans and olives

Wednesday, Feb. 11: chicken enchiladas, beans, rice

Thursday, Feb. 12: chick pea soup, bread (or pitas), yogurt sesame spread.

Friday, Feb. 13: fish tacos, salad

Are you a frugal foodie? How did you save money in the kitchen this week? Leave your link here and make sure to link back!

Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal Foodie

Food Stamp Challenge - feed my family for $2 per person per day. ($140 a week).

Well, this week threw us a curve ball. Husband dear is paid by the hour, and there were some unexpected slow times plus a sick day. Add that to unexpected expense and an oopsie on my part (I thought I paid for 6 months of car insurance in December, but I actually went on the monthly plan, so we had to pay a month's worth of car insurance, too), plus rent due, and we have $75 to spend on food and whatnots until next payday (February 6).

It's feast or famine in the construction industry. Last two weeks? 35 and 40 hours. Next paycheck? 58 hours this week, scheduled for 84 hours next week (time and a half for overtime, woot!)

So. Two week's worth of meals for $50? Can it be done?

Well, yes it can. On the other hand, this is a realistic challenge. How many families run out of food stamps at the end of the month?

I stock up whenever I can (remember those 35 pounds of meat I bought last week?) so I only needed a few staples. We'll be eating less fresh fruit this week, but I'll be breaking out my "hurricane stock" of juice and canned veggies in order to make sure everyone gets their vitamins. We rarely drink juice, so a glass of pineapple juice will be a treat for the kids, instead of a sacrifice.

Here are my saving graces:

• A stocked pantry. I have rice, beans, peas, lentils, flour, cornmeal, popcorn, bulgur, quinoa... and I know how to use them. Truthfully, I could have not gone to the store at all (but the meals would have been a little meager. Plus I really did need eggs, since I plan on baking!) Thanks be to God for giving me the means to have extra money in the "fat" times so we have food for the lean times.

• The knowledge, skills, and ability to make many things myself. I didn't fret about being able to afford bread - I have flour, yeast and water at home. I have access to an oven, freezer, and refrigeration. I know how to make bland foods taste good enough that the kids ask for seconds (sometimes...) Thanks be to God for giving me understanding and providing such a nice kitchen and comfortable home!

• I have been reading frugal, cooking, and mommy blogs and been blessed by other ladie's insights, tips, tricks, recipes, and encouragement. Thanks be to God for all of the people on the Internet (and the amazing gift of the Web, as well) who freely share so that others may be helped.

• I spent an hour and a half planning our menu this week, poring through the pantry and the circulars. Thanks be to God that I have a safe place to store my food, and the luxury of time to sit and ponder recipes.

I think the real challenge will be in two weeks, when I restock!


What I spent: $36.15 on food (plus $6.25 on diapers. 30 diapers for the week? BWAH HA HA HA! Seriously, we'll be working on potty training this week!) I left some room to buy milk, oranges, and anything else that might crop up.

What I got:
7# onions, large bunch kale, 5# russet potatoes, 5# Yukon gold potatoes, 5# carrots (again. We really do eat 5# of carrots a week!), 6 0z. fresh blueberries (pregnant mama with gestational diabetes can't drink juice to get her fruit.)

42 oz. quick oats, balsamic vinegar, 1# dried black eyed peas, 2 bottles Ken's Salad dressing (paid 49¢ each for them, and they are one of the few brands that do not have MSG or artificial colors), 2 jars Pace picante (paid 76¢ for them), 2 cans Rotel (40¢ each), 100 corn tortillas.

1# cheese, 5 dozen eggs, 3# ground chuck, 24 oz. Green Giant Veggie Steamers (free after coupon).

What we'll be eating (no price breakdowns. The thought of doing fourteen of them was overwhelming. Plus, this post is already long.)
Sunday Jan 25: Baked penne with spaghetti sauce (noodles in pantry, gallon bag of meat sauce leftover from my giant vat of sauce last week.)

Monday Jan 26: Ham bone soup (which we didn't have last Monday, as my pan of lasagna was so filling it lasted for two meals!) (Which means ham bone is still in the freezer. And husband dear informed me that black eyed peas would be way better than split peas).

Tuesday Jan 27: Bangers and mash. Okay, it's really bratwurst with chunky kale/potato puree and canned green beans.

Wed, Jan 28: Beef stir fry with frozen veggies (those free Veggie Steamers) and sprouts.

Thur Jan 29: Lentil Soup, rolls

Fri Jan 30: Bean tostadas (with that salsa. Is that a vegetable?), corn/Rotel salad.

Sat, Jan 31: Birthday celebration for Miss E! She wanted hamburgers (that's why I bought the ground chuck). Hamburgers, brats, potato salad, chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, popcorn, and spinach. Yeah, she got to pick the menu. I forced the potato salad on her, though. She really loves spinach, believe it or not.


Sun, Feb 1: Turkey, stuffing, broccoli and cauliflower blend (I bought an extra turkey at Christmas because they were so cheap! $2.50 for a 12# bird!)

Mon, Feb 2: Chili with red beans, cornbread

Tues, Feb 3: Turkey tetrazzini with broccoli

Wed, Feb 4: Pork chops, spaetzle or latkes, sweet and sour cabbage (Doh! Forgot to buy cabbage.)

Thurs, Feb 5: Beef and barley soup

Fri, Feb 6: I lied. I only planned 12 meals. Payday! Goin' to the store!
A word about fruits and veggies:
We eat tons of fresh fruit and fresh veggies. The kids really did eat the kale, turnips, yams, hominy, eggplant, zucchini, and did I mention we eat our way through 5# of carrots a week? However, it was simply not in the budget this week. I made a list of fruit/veggie snacks to make sure they get what they need, nutritionally. But I'm paranoid about things like that, so they'll probably be getting one of Mr R's multivitamins for the next two weeks, too.

From my stash of cans and pantry staples:
Pineapple rings (frozen because it's good that way)
Pineapple juice - I have 4 cans!
oranges (we have a few left)
pumpkin bread
pineapple yogurt (can of crushed pineapple in pantry, plain yogurt, honey)
Split pea soup (a lunch standard around here)
Spaghettios (w/ tomato paste and nutritional yeast for "cheesy" flavor. I know. It sounds totally gross, but the kids like it. Or maybe they're just used to it.)
Sprouts - so easy to make, cheap way to get fresh green veggies.
Two mystery cans that Baby X peeled the labels off. Don't know what they are (I suspect crowder peas) but we'll eat 'em!

From my fridge and freezer:
Apple juice (3 cans)
Lemonade (with lemon juice and pulp in them, 2 cans)
Pumpkin soup for lunch this week
Banana muffins (frozen overripe bananas)
Smoothies (bag of frozen fruit I bought last week, yogurt)
Carrots, the ever popular snack

Kid in the Kitchen picture is Mr S, making brownies to celebrate the feast day of his patron saint. And Miss C enjoying a brownie. Because my family reads here.


Are you a frugal foodie? Leave your link here and make sure to link back!

Labels: C, cooking, E, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, health, Journey to Simplicity, Kids in the Kitchen, S

Okay, here's the weekly roundup! Stay tuned for next week - they cut husband dear's hours so my goal is to buy only fresh fruit, veggies, and milk and use up pantry stock for everything else.


I spent on food:
Kroger, husband run: $15.60
Kroger, my main run: $37.61
HEB: $81.46
Food Town: 17.95

TOTAL: $153.62 - $2.37 returned goods = $151.25
Avg. for 3 weeks: $139.32 per week.

I got:
12# boneless chuck roast, 4.5# chicken, 10# boneless pork loin, 4# bratwurst (1 per pound! Score!), 3# ground sausage, 2.5# ground chuck

8# bananas, 16# oranges, 6# apples (Gala and Golden Delicious) 1 head Romaine, 4# zucchini, 1# jalapenos, 2.5# yellow onion, 1,9# yams, 1# turnips, 2.25# Roma tomatoes, 5# carrots, 10# potatoes. (You might notice that we ate the whole 5# bag of carrots last week, as well as 18# of oranges and 30 apples!)

3 gallons milk (regular, not organic - sigh again!), 4.5# cheese, 1# ricotta, 1# sour cream, 1# cream cheese,

1# split peas, 1 jar orange marmalade, 1 can pineapple slices, 2 boxes lasagna noodles, 100ct. corn tortillas, 54 oz. peanut butter, 12# sugar, half a pound of bulk WW Pastry flour, 2 c. bulk wheat bran, and about 1/2 c. mung beans. Plus some misc. bulk spices I've been wanting to try - mace, hot curry, and Chinese 5 spice.

7 bags frozen veggies (1# each), 1# mango/papaya frozen fruit.

A bag of ice, 10 yogurt covered pretzels, and a pound of andouille sausage (impulse buys!)

Obviously, I stocked up on meat for the freezer. We aren't going to eat 35 pounds of meat this week! Some people buy exactly what they need week to week, like Grocery Cart Challenge. I prefer to have rotating stock

Our budget was tight, too, because a friend had a baby so I made a pan of chicken enchiladas and lasagna for her.Visit Laura to see tons of menus!

The Menu:
Saturday, Jan 17: Throw together of pasta carbonara w/ham and peas. $3.88
Ham - free, sister's leftovers
2 bags egg noodles, $2
1# peas, $1,
Onion, .35
2 c. milk, .40
2 T. butter .13

Sunday, Jan. 18:, spaghetti, salad.
I'm not going to price this out. I made a giant Vat O' Sauce to make 2 family size lasagnas plus some to freeze. It's 8# crushed tomatoes, 6.5# diced tomatoes, 5.5# meat (ground beef and sausage), garlic, onion, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Romaine lettuce, 99 cents.
Roma tomatoes, 35 cents.

Monday, Jan 19:ham bone soup, rolls $3.84
Ham bone - free (last week's ham)
carrots 3 large, .42
onion .35
celery 3 ribs celery, chopped .25
1# white beans, .89
1/2 # split peas .43
1# pearled barley, .85
Homemade rolls, .65

Tuesday, Jan 20: Pork Loin, mashed potatoes, zucchini $15.57
5# pork loin $8.85
1/3 jar orange marmalade .45
4# potatoes $1.92
4 T butter .13
3# zucchini $3.87
onion .35

Wednesday, Jan 21: Roasted root vegetable/pork ragout, cornbread $6.44 In other words, leftovers.
1# turnip, .83
1.9# yams, $1.86
1# potatoes .50
3 large carrots, .50
1 med. onion, .35
Leftover pork tenderloin, free
3 c. brown rice, .90
cornbread - too lazy to figure it out. Guesstimate? $1.50


Thursday, Jan 22: Beef curry $7.20
2.5# boneless chuck roast cut in strips $2.50
3 c. brown rice, $1.30
2# frozen chopped broccoli, 2.00
1# frozen Asian Stir Fry Veggies $1.00
3 oz. Kikkoman soy sauce .40

Friday, Jan 23: Lentil enchiladas, pintos, celery and carrot sticks $8.83
2 c. lentils .40
2 c. brown rice .80
Dried chiles ???Bought many moons ago. They weigh nothing, so cheap!
3 carrots, grated and cooked .42
1 lb. Roma tomatoes, diced and cooked .69
16 oz. sour cream, $1
12 oz. cheese, $2.63
corn tortillas (30?) .45
1# pintos, .50
1 onion, .35
3/4 stalk celery .75
6 carrots, cut into sticks $.84

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Labels: Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, health

I won't post my receipts this week, because we went to four stores and I stocked up -they are really long! I'm very fortunate to have 7 grocery stores all in a row on the same road - the road that leads to the library. I can really shop around to get the best deals without wasting gas, and can afford the luxury of stopping into a couple of Mexican markets to see what they have (sometimes killer deals, sometimes...meh.)

My goal: To spend $140 / week on food. Last week I spent $105; this week I stocked up some and spent more.

I also ended up shopping with the entire family. We had some... unplanned purchases. Including Twizzlers and Coke. A 20 oz. Coke, cold, is $1.38 - a 2 liter Coke is $1.25. ???

My total for all four stores (including sales tax):
FoodTown $66.84
FiestaMart $30.50
WalMart $121.07
Kroger $13.98

Total: $232.39

However, you can only buy food with food stamps, and my $140 is for food only. I spent $45.82 on diapers, wipes, paper towels (I hate buying these but have resigned myself to my fate), toilet paper, etc.

We decided to eat in on Thursday instead of going out Friday. We went to the library, and then all the groceries. We picked up two rotisserie chickens, 1.5# hot wings, 4 lbs. macaroni salad, a Coke, and a pack of Twizzlers (see why I shop by myself?) We spent $24.58 on our picnic, but this is actually planned to come out of our entertainment budget, not food budget.

So. $232.39, minus $45.82 non-food, minus $24.58 entertainment, = $161.99 this week.

Total for two weeks: $267.71 (Some weeks we spend more, some weeks we spend less).

Among other things, I got:

• 3 cartons oatmeal, 1 box chocolate malt-0-meal, and two boxes of cold cereal (again, why I shop alone! But we haven't had cereal with milk for about a month, and they had some Mom's Best Natural at a good price.)

• 10# AP flour, 5# cornmeal, salt.

• 4 small jars Peanut butter (the smallest jar is the cheapest per ounce, even though it annoys me to have to buy so many! I paid a total of $5.44 for 72 oz. PB.), 3 cans tuna (why do my kids like this?), 28 oz. jar salsa.

• 4 boxes whole wheat pasta, 2 jars garden spaghetti sauce (good in a pinch), 2 large (28 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, one small can Organic Fire Roasted tomatoes (had a coupon! Paid 14 cents! Woot!)

• 3# bananas, 10# oranges, 3# bag red delicious apples, 17 individual Fuji apples, 1 large head green leaf lettuce, 2 packages radishes, 5# carrots, 4 bell peppers, 1 lg. celery, 2 lg. red onions, 1.5# jalapenos, 4# tomatoes, 2 bunches kale, 4 kiwis, 10# potatoes, and 7 yellow onions. (Note - the apples were gone by Sunday. The kiwis didn't make it past Saturday!)

• 11# shank ham, 10# sirloin pork chops, 2 pkg. bacon, 10 oz. chorizo.

• 4 gallons milk (not organic. Sigh.) 2# cheese, 3# butter, 6 dozen eggs.

• 6 cans green beans, 6 cans pintos, 4 cans Ranch Style beans, 3 cans navy beans, 3 cans crowder peas, 6 cans hominy, 2# dried pintos, 1 bottle ketchup, 1 large can Folgers ($5.44! What a deal!).

I also bought 3 cans of picante sauce which I just saw they way overcharged me for so I'm going to take them back, and also buy some split peas instead. I don't shop at WalMart for groceries often - one reason is because they don't stock everything I buy. Including split peas.

• 2# froz. brussels sprouts, 2# froz. peas and carrots, 1# froz. chopped broccoli.

And two Reese's Whipps candy bars. I had a coupon for $1 off 2...they were advertising them as "less fat and fewer calories than regular candy bars" in the paper. Yes, they gave out a coupon so you could include candy as part of your New Year's Resolution weight loss!

So. Now that I've cured your insomnia, what are we going to eat?

Thursday we had the "eating out dinner", and Friday we had "miscellaneous pantry throw together". So, our new menu is:

(I just realized I forgot to link back to Laura at Orgjunkie, hostess of Menu Plan Monday!)

Sat., Jan 10 - Kolaches, sauerkraut, braised cabbage. coleslaw Husband dear also made an unplanned appetizer of jalapeno poppers. I estimate they cost $1 or so for 12. I promised to share pictures:


Sun, Jan 11 - Ham, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts $16
Ham, $11.66
4# potatoes, $1.20
2# froz. brussels sprouts $2
6 oz. bacon, chopped .75
1 med. onion - .35

Mon, Jan 12 - Salad bar night, bread $7.69
Green leaf lettuce $.99
2# tomatoes $1.60
1 c. (before cooking) chickpeas .35
9 hardboiled eggs $1.00
8 oz. radishes, chopped .59
2 zucchini, shredded .35
3 carrots, shredded .20
1/2 onion, chopped .20
4 stalks celery, .35
8 oz. cheese, $1.75
salad dressing - ??? bottle's in the fridge already
1 loaf homemade bread .66
Updated - didn't bake today but had to run and buy trash bags. Bought 2 loaves of French bread for $2.46 total, instead.

Tues, Jan 13 - Macaroni and cheese with ham and broccoli, salad or turnip greens $9.20
2 boxes WW Penne pasta, $2.50 (the elbows got eaten for lunch Fri.)
16 oz. cheese, $3.50
1 c. milk .20
handful flour - ???
2# froz. broccoli $2.00
leftover ham - free
leftover salad - free
turnip greens - $1.00

Wed, Jan 14 - Crockpot Cuban Pork w/black beans, seasoned rice, spinach $9.56
4+# sirloin chops, $4.30
3 c. black beans (dry), soaked .75
3 carrots, chopped or grated .20
1 can picante sauce $.33
28.5 oz can diced tomatoes, $.85
sour cream (in fridge from Christmas) (hope it's not furry.)
3 c. brown rice $1.00
2# frozen spinach, $2


Thurs, Jan 15 - fajitas, pico de gallo, refried beans, spanish rice $15.53 (wow, homemade pico is expensive!) (I can't believe this dinner costs as much as the ham dinner!)
3.5# beef strips, $5.56
2# frozen pepper strips, $2.00
2 onions, $.70
3# tomatoes, $2.40
1 red onion, .75
2 jalapenos, .45
corn tortillas (est. $1)
1# (dry weight) pinto beans, .50
10 oz. chorizo (best refried beans you've ever had!) .99
Another onion .35
2 c. white rice, .50
1 can picante sauce, .33

Fri, Jan 16 - lentil shepherd's pie, broccoli and cauliflower $5.50
2 c. lentils, .35
2 c. brown rice, .65
onion, .35
carrots, .20
3 stalks celery, .25
1/2 c. milk, .10
2# potatoes, .60
1# frozen peas $1
2# broccoli/cauliflower, $2


Most of my meals seem expensive - $10 or $15. But remember, they are designed to make a minimum of 10 servings since husband dear likes to take leftovers + there's a pregnant lady in da house! So it works out to $1-$1.50 per person.


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Labels: cooking, Food Stamp Challenge, Frugal, Frugal Foodie, menu