Sunday, June 26, 2011

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner for 10!

So I didn't reach my goal of staying under $100.00 to feed 10 people for an entire week breakfast, lunch, dinner, and beverages.  As I was shopping, I observed the large quantity of food that was going into my cart and quickly realized my goal might not be feasible.  When I got home from shopping, I told my husband that we need to stick with the plan of 2.5 children, because feeding a family of 10 is tough!  So, here is my grocery list with a grand total of............

$141.44 for food groceries for 10 people for an entire week!


There was more, but I couldn't fit it all on the table

Costco:
12 giant bagels
12 giant muffins (blueberry and chocolate)
5 lbs of red grapes
3 dozen eggs
Tortilla Chips
7 lbs of ground beef

Garden Fresh:
3 lbs of chicken breast
3 lbs organic bosc pears
1 lb sliced cajun turkey breast
1 lb maple honey ham
Apple Juice
4 avocados
1 lb loraine swiss
1 loaf of polish rye bread

Caputos:
5.5 lbs Fresh Bratwurst
1.2 lbs Fresh Italian Sausage
2 bottles Western Dressing
1 box Jiffy Corn Mix
2 16 oz Dutch Farms Sour Cream
2 28 oz diced tomatoes
4 Brook's Chili Hot Beans
2 Pillsbury grand biscuits
1 Can Cream-style Corn
1 pckg shredded mozzarella
2 pckgs shredded Mexican cheese
3 lbs bananas
Brick of Romano Cheese
3 limes
4 Orange Peppers
1 head of garlic
3 bunches of fresh romaine
2 heads of lettuce
10 plum tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro
5 large eggplants
2 red onions
3lbs yellow onions
3 pckgs hot dog buns
1 seedless watermelon
8 2lt bottles of soda

Total = $141.44

Menu for the Week:

Breakfast:
Eggs
Muffins
Bagels
Sausage
Biscuits
Fruit

Lunch:
Sandwiches
Pizza Bagels
Leftovers

Dinner:
Taco Salad
Grilled Bratwurst with chips
Stuffed Eggplant with side salad
Chili with Cornbread
Avocado/Pear Salad with Grilled Chicken and Feta

Thanks again for reading.  Beginning again on Wednesday July 6th, we should be back to the normal schedule of planning for only 1 family! :-)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Change of Plans this Week

Wednesday's shopping trip this week has been postponed to Sunday, June 26th.  However, Sunday's shopping trip will be a bit different compared to past weeks.  I will be planning breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 10 people for the entire week.  The challenge is to try to stay under $100 for everything.  I will post what I bought, where I shopped, and the menu on Sunday afternoon.

Sneak Peek of menu (subject to change):

Grilled Bratwurst w/ grilled onions (these are made fresh at the store) - $1.59/lb this week at Caputo's
Homemade Chili with all the fixin's
Taco Salad
Stuffed Eggplant (Eggplant is on sale again for 59c/lb) This recipe is fantastic!!
Mixed Green Salad with Grilled Chicken (Chicken Breast is $1.39/lb)

Check back on Sunday and Happy Cooking!
~Erin

Friday, June 17, 2011

Thank you!

So, I decided to start this blog thinking that it might help others save money.  I honestly would have been thrilled if even a couple of people benefited from this in some way or another.  I had never expected the overwhelming response that has been received.  In the past 2 1/2 weeks, this site has had over 750 views.  Unbelievable!  This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't spread the word to family and friends, so a big Thank You to everyone! 

Also, I have received a handful of questions from readers and thought I would share them with everyone:
  
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Do you use coupons to buy your groceries? 
No.  I don't use any coupons to buy my groceries.  I use a lot of fresh produce when I cook and most coupons in the ads are for pre-packaged or processed items.  Instead of planning my meals based on what I feel like eating that week, I plan my meals based on what is on sale in the grocery store ad.
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Where do you find the local ads? Mail or Internet?
I usually compare Caputo's Fresh Market and Garden Fresh, which are my local produce grocery stores.  On Wednesday mornings they post the new ad for the week on their website.   The links to those stores should be on the left column of this page.
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Do you make money from this site?
No.  This site was designed purely to help and inspire, not for profit.
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Where do you get milk since it is not on the grocery list?
My 1 1/2 year old goes through at least a gallon a week on her own.  We started off buying organic, which is the best option, however, we were spending $10 a week just on her milk.  After a little research and reading the label, Costco (Kirkland Brand) sells milk that is made without artificial growth hormone.  It ranges from $1.99-$2.29 per gallon depending on the week.  So, now we buy our milk from Costco since it is the best/cheapest alternative to organic.
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How many people can you feed with the meals you make?
We have a family of 3, however, we ALWAYS have guests dining at our house and have plenty to go around.  The bigos we made last week was probably enough to feed 12 people and we usually have leftovers of everything.  I will however try to go through my recipes and estimate how many servings each recipe makes. 
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Since you only buy food for dinner, what do you eat for breakfast and lunch?
Breakfast is usually cereal and fruit, eggs, pancakes or lately, it has been banana bread or zucchini bread.  :)  Lunch is pretty much leftovers.  After we are finished with a meal at night, I will pack lunches right away for the next day to save time.
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Are these all your original recipes?
Some are, but most aren't.  Many of the recipes I post are adapted from other recipes.  Each recipes is cited with it's source.  Usually I will find a recipe or a few recipes, and pull a few parts of each recipe together.  Or I may take out an ingredient I don't like (for example, I am not a fan of celery, so my chicken and dumplings recipe does not include it, but the original recipe does).  When the ads come out on Wednesday and lets say eggplant is on sale,  I will check my recipe books or even google "eggplant recipes" and look through them to see if anything looks particularly tasty.  After I make the dish, I will usually post any changes that I made from the original recipe.
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Lastly, I would love to hear your feedback, questions, and also any success stories.  Please post them in the comments section below so that everyone can enjoy!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Meal Plan for the Week 6/15-6/21

Total Spent on Food Groceries this week  $39.60

Sale prices are guaranteed through Tuesday, June 21st, 2011


I have selected Caputo's Fresh Market for this week's shopping trip based on sale prices posted today.

Again, please check the ingredients needed for the recipes first incase you already have an item or need something in addition to my list.

On to this week's groceries:
Mccormick Fajita Marinade Packet - 99c
1 lb tilapia fillets - $2.79
1 box of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix - $1
Cooking Marsala - $2.09
28 oz crushed tomatoes - 99c
2 ltr Sundrop Soda - 99c
Vanilla instant pudding - $1.19
Dozen large eggs - 69c
1 Can mandarin oranges - 69c
1 can crushed pineapple - $1.29
3.79 lb chicken breast - $5.99
4 turkey drumsticks - $5.92 (By the way, these are HUGE)
1 Romaine Lettuce - 1.47 lb @ .69/lb = $1.01
2 ears of sweet corn - 67c
1 cool whip - $1.25
3 lb bag of yukon gold potatoes - $1.69
8 oz white mushrooms - 99c
4 large white onions - 3.06lb @ .49/lb = $1.50
3 Heads of garlic - .34lb @2.99/lb = $1.02
4 bananas 1.56lb @ .39/lb = 61c
2 mangos - 89c
2 lemons - .82lb @ .89/lb = 73c
2 limes - 17c
4 oz goat cheese - $3.09
2 yellow peppers .80lb @.79/lb = 63c


$39.60 including tax

Our Meals this week are as follows:

Entrees
  • Chicken Marsala with skillet potatoes and Cesar salad
  • Parmesan tilapia with rice and mixed veggies
  • Chicken Fajitas with peppers and onions and Spanish Rice
  • Pasta with a homemade marinara sprinkled with goat cheese and Cesar salad
  • Festival Grilled Turkey legs with garlic roasted potatoes and sweet corn on the cob  
Snacks
  • Mangos
  • Bananas
Dessert
  • Pig Pickin' Cake (mandarin orange and pineapple cake)


Please see the recipe links on the left for full recipes

Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Meal Plan for the Week 6/8-6/14

Update to 6/8 Post - Bonus Meal this Week!!
After carving the pork shoulder for the bigos and kabobs, the shoulder bone was leftover with some extra meat attached.  Instead of tossing it out, I put in a pot, covered it with water, added salt, pepper, bay leaf and boiled for 1 1/2 hours.  It made a great stock and some really tender meat.  Added the meat back to the stock, added a can of drained red beans(been in the pantry for a while), 1/2 cup of white rice, some onion, and a squeeze of lemon.  Pretty much made an amazing soup out of odds and ends. 

Moral of the story: Don't waste anything, you may be missing out on something amazing! 

Total Spent on Food Groceries this week  $43.60

Sale prices are guaranteed through Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
I have selected Caputo's Fresh Market for this week's shopping trip based on sale prices posted today.

Again, please check the ingredients needed for the recipes first incase you already have an item or need something in addition to my list.

On to this week's groceries:

Freshly made Polish Sausage (used in bigos and kabobs) - 3.21 lb @1.99/lb = $6.39
Pork Shoulder Roast (used for bigos and kabobs) - 6.38 lb @ 1.49/lb = $9.51
Chicken Quarters - 3.54 lb @ 69c/lb = 2.44
2 pckgs Bobak's sauerkraut
1 dozen eggs
2 large eggplants @ .59/lb = $1.40
6 Zucchini (zucchini bread and kabobs) @ .49/lb = $1.64
6 lemons (lemonade and cucumber salad) @ .69/lb = $1.60
1 pckg Centrella Hot Dog Buns = 89c
1 romaine lettuce @ .49/lb = 64c
3 cucumbers @ .39/lb = 69c
1 green cabbage @ $1/ 4lbs = $1 - Peel the unwanted leaves off before you buy it
5 Georgia Peaches @ .69/lb = 80c
3 large white potatoes @ .79/lb = $1.41
4 yellow peppers @ .89/lb = $1.23
6 yellow onions @ .49/lb = 72c
Brick Romano Cheese = $3.89
1 lb strawberries = $1.50
1 pckg whole mushrooms (bigos and kabobs) = 99c
1 bottle of RC Cola = 99c (Husband's request)

$43.60 including tax

Our Meals this week are as follows:

Entrees
  • Chicken and Dumplings
  • Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)
  • Grilled Sausages and balsamic vinaigrette salad with strawberries
  • Pork Kabobs with potatoes and cucumber salad
  • Stuffed Eggplant 
Snacks
  • Peaches,
  • Strawberries
  • Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Dessert
  • Zucchini Bread

Please see the recipes link on the left for full recipes

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Sunday Night's Dinner

Lemon Butter Grilled Chicken, Balsamic Grilled Eggplant, and Potato Pancakes
see "Recipes" link on the left





Lunch

Tomato Mozzarella Tart
see "Recipes" Link on left

Friday, June 3, 2011

Friday Night's Dinner

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Mushrooms and Green Onions

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Thursday Night's Dinner

BBQ Ribs, Garlic and White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli Salad
see the "Recipes" link on the left for how to make this tasty meal

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Meal Plan for the Week 6/01-6/07

Total Spent on Food Groceries this week  $33.64

Sale prices are guaranteed through Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

I have selected Garden Fresh Market for this week's shopping trip based on sale prices posted today.  Caputo's is the next best alternative.

On to this week's grocery list:
9 chicken quarters - 69c /lb (4 quarters for the soup, the remaining 4-5 quarters for grilling)
2.5 lb baby back ribs - $6
1 pckg Centrella smoked bacon - $2.50 (on sale 2/$5, but you only need one pckg)
1 pckg frozen puff pastry
1 block of dutch farms Mozzarella - $1.50
Hellman's Light Mayo (I was running low)
1.75 lb of organic broccoli - 69c /lb
1.30 lb of Chinese eggplant - 69c /lb
1/2 lb loose mushrooms - $1.36 - do not get pre-packaged, you will waste some & spend more
2lbs (1 pckg) seedless red grapes
1.5 lb bananas - 3 large - 49c /lb
3 tomatoes on the vine - $1.19
1 lemon - 40c
1 red onion - 35c
2 heads garlic - 26c

$33.64 including tax

Recommended Also this week:
Pasta - angel hair for soup - Tomasello - 69c per package
Green Onions/Scallions for the soup - I had some left over from last week so I did not need to purchase more this week


Remember, be creative!  Cooking should be fun and relaxing, not a chore, so enjoy it!

Our meals this week are as follows:

  • Fall Apart Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Garlic Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli Salad
  • Homemade Chicken Soup with Mushrooms and Green Onions
  • Breakfast for Dinner
  • Tomato and Mozzarella Crispy Tart
  • Chargrilled Lemon Chicken quarters with Grilled Eggplant and Whole Wheat Pasta
  • Dessert - Homemade Banana Bread
Snacks this week - Crisp Seedless Red Grapes and apples.

Recipes can be found on Recipes Page on left column.

I hope you enjoy!