Grocery and Menu Planning
I try every week to sit down with my sales ads and make menus and grocery lists. It helps me to not have to worry about what's for dinner. And don't feel like you are locked into the schedule. If something comes up Sunday afternoon and you can't bake that turkey, he'll keep until Tuesday or wednesday. Just pull out mac& cheese and make that turkey when you've got time to throw him in the oven before your afternoon commitments. I put tuesday in as pizza night, but I may yet skip that if the budget doesn't look squishy enough for it.
Menu:
Sunday: Roast turkey breast with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli - sit down dinner
-Easy recipe for turkey here. Oh and if you don't have a rack, make balls of aluminum foil and use them to keep your breast off the bottom of the pan.
-Turkey on sale for $0.99/lb.
Monday: Spicy Italian Beef Sandwiches - crock pot meal
-Recipe here. from Iowa Girl Eats.
- I've make this a few times and we don't feel it needs both the peppers and the veggies so I skip the Giardiniera mix. You could skip the peppers and just add the giardiniera for the flavor and less spice.
-I plan to use a rump roast because it's on sale for $3.88/lb. I've also seen recipes sub a can/bottle of beer for the beef broth.
Tuesday: $10 Take and Bake at Papa Murphy's or mac & cheese.
Wednesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Paninis
-Recipe here. And if you don' have a panini press, this website will help you do it the old fashioned way with what you have.
-Don't buy bread crumbs! Use bread heels. For how-to and other ideas try this link
-Serve with a green salad or fresh veggies
-3lb bag of frozen chicken breasts are on sale for $5.99 and HyVee deli shaved ham for 1.99/lb.
Thursday: Turkey noodle soup with veggies - longer prep time
-Recipe here. You can reserve the turkey from the earlier roast, and simmer your carcass overnight in a crockpot with celery and onions for broth.
-Use whole wheat or garden rotini noodles to up the fiber.
-Also feel free to add any veggies you want to this soup, like zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
-Frozen veggies and the pasta are on both sale for $.99 each.
Friday: Pot Roast Bolognese
-Recipe here. Don't worry about gravy, just use the meat and broth from the previous sandwiches.
-This might sound and even look intimidating, but I promise you, it is easier than it looks and SOOO worth it. Personally I skip the nutmeg, and I also cut up the veggies for this at the same time I as I was doing it for the turkey soup.
Leftovers, sandwich stuff, and a couple meals worth of mac&cheese with hot dogs or ham will round out the meals for this week.
Weekly Snacks and Treat ideas
Fresh strawberries and yogurt. 1 light yogurt at .40 mixed with 1 cup of sliced berries serves 2 for less than a buck.
Fresh radishes, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. clean, peel, slice and store in separate containers in the fridge for easy snacking or to top salads all week long.
Carrots and celery. Don't buy pre-cut, baby, or pre-washed. Buy it whole and use as needed. If your celery starts to go limp as mine ALWAYS does, cut all the ends, wash it, and toss it in a plastic bag or container with some water. within a couple hours it will be crisp again. Oh hey! and it's ready anytime to munch on!
Asparagus is on sale this time of year. Steam it, roast it, or just add it to your soup or green salad. It's super fast and easy.
Cottage Cheese is on sale, $2 for 24oz. Buy it this week and use it for sides, breakfasts or snacks. If you don't get it eaten by next week, plan to make lasagna or ziti pasta.
Store brand cheerios and Chex are on sale. With a $1 bag of marshmallows you have breakfast on the go bars. If you can afford it, stir in ground or whole flax seed to up the Omega3's, protein and fiber. Marshmallows make everything taste better.
Bananas and brownie mix is on sale. Did you know you can sub bananas for oil. Mmmm Brownies!
-----
Aldi list
mushrooms .99
3pk bell peppers 1.69
asparagus 1.29
3lb Onions .99
Cheese sticks 2.69
Hy-vee/Fareway list
Sugar .99
blue bonnet x2 1.16
Honeysuckle Turkey Breast 6lb $6
Iceberg lettuce .68
cottage cheese 1.99
rump roast 3-4lb $12-14
Swiss cheese block $1.67
zucchini 1.48
strawberries 1.28
fresh broccoli 2.30
rotini pasta $1
frozen chicken breast 6
ham 2
bread for paninis
french/hogie rolls
pineapple 2.77
----
Total about $55.
I could do this for less if I didn't do the rump roast and the turkey in the same week. Pork chops would have been cheaper, but I had planned to do the beef recipes last week thinking i had a roast in the freezer. I didn't have a roast and I was disappointed.
Menu:
Sunday: Roast turkey breast with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli - sit down dinner
-Easy recipe for turkey here. Oh and if you don't have a rack, make balls of aluminum foil and use them to keep your breast off the bottom of the pan.
-Turkey on sale for $0.99/lb.
Monday: Spicy Italian Beef Sandwiches - crock pot meal
-Recipe here. from Iowa Girl Eats.
- I've make this a few times and we don't feel it needs both the peppers and the veggies so I skip the Giardiniera mix. You could skip the peppers and just add the giardiniera for the flavor and less spice.
-I plan to use a rump roast because it's on sale for $3.88/lb. I've also seen recipes sub a can/bottle of beer for the beef broth.
Tuesday: $10 Take and Bake at Papa Murphy's or mac & cheese.
Wednesday: Chicken Cordon Bleu Paninis
-Recipe here. And if you don' have a panini press, this website will help you do it the old fashioned way with what you have.
-Don't buy bread crumbs! Use bread heels. For how-to and other ideas try this link
-Serve with a green salad or fresh veggies
-3lb bag of frozen chicken breasts are on sale for $5.99 and HyVee deli shaved ham for 1.99/lb.
Thursday: Turkey noodle soup with veggies - longer prep time
-Recipe here. You can reserve the turkey from the earlier roast, and simmer your carcass overnight in a crockpot with celery and onions for broth.
-Use whole wheat or garden rotini noodles to up the fiber.
-Also feel free to add any veggies you want to this soup, like zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, etc.
-Frozen veggies and the pasta are on both sale for $.99 each.
Friday: Pot Roast Bolognese
-Recipe here. Don't worry about gravy, just use the meat and broth from the previous sandwiches.
-This might sound and even look intimidating, but I promise you, it is easier than it looks and SOOO worth it. Personally I skip the nutmeg, and I also cut up the veggies for this at the same time I as I was doing it for the turkey soup.
Leftovers, sandwich stuff, and a couple meals worth of mac&cheese with hot dogs or ham will round out the meals for this week.
Weekly Snacks and Treat ideas
Fresh strawberries and yogurt. 1 light yogurt at .40 mixed with 1 cup of sliced berries serves 2 for less than a buck.
Fresh radishes, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. clean, peel, slice and store in separate containers in the fridge for easy snacking or to top salads all week long.
Carrots and celery. Don't buy pre-cut, baby, or pre-washed. Buy it whole and use as needed. If your celery starts to go limp as mine ALWAYS does, cut all the ends, wash it, and toss it in a plastic bag or container with some water. within a couple hours it will be crisp again. Oh hey! and it's ready anytime to munch on!
Asparagus is on sale this time of year. Steam it, roast it, or just add it to your soup or green salad. It's super fast and easy.
Cottage Cheese is on sale, $2 for 24oz. Buy it this week and use it for sides, breakfasts or snacks. If you don't get it eaten by next week, plan to make lasagna or ziti pasta.
Store brand cheerios and Chex are on sale. With a $1 bag of marshmallows you have breakfast on the go bars. If you can afford it, stir in ground or whole flax seed to up the Omega3's, protein and fiber. Marshmallows make everything taste better.
Bananas and brownie mix is on sale. Did you know you can sub bananas for oil. Mmmm Brownies!
-----
Aldi list
mushrooms .99
3pk bell peppers 1.69
asparagus 1.29
3lb Onions .99
Cheese sticks 2.69
Hy-vee/Fareway list
Sugar .99
blue bonnet x2 1.16
Honeysuckle Turkey Breast 6lb $6
Iceberg lettuce .68
cottage cheese 1.99
rump roast 3-4lb $12-14
Swiss cheese block $1.67
zucchini 1.48
strawberries 1.28
fresh broccoli 2.30
rotini pasta $1
frozen chicken breast 6
ham 2
bread for paninis
french/hogie rolls
pineapple 2.77
----
Total about $55.
I could do this for less if I didn't do the rump roast and the turkey in the same week. Pork chops would have been cheaper, but I had planned to do the beef recipes last week thinking i had a roast in the freezer. I didn't have a roast and I was disappointed.