Grocery shopping and weekly meal plan

I have neglected the blog, but I have stuck to my budget these past 2 weeks.  We've had so much going on, we had to put our dog to sleep, we had a whirlwind wedding Columbus Day weekend and then my favorite Uncle died. Blah. But now I'm back in the swing of things!

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday - Apple bread

               Crock pot pot roast with tricolor penne served with green beans

Monday - Pancakes and Eggs with sausage and pineapple chunks

                 French Dip Sandwiches/grilled cheese with cut up veggies

Tuesday - Cold cereal and fruit

                 Dinner with my parents - ribs and cornbread

Wednesday - Cold Cereal

                      leftovers

                      Mac and cheese (boxed, gasp), broccoli, and leftovers

Thursday - Apple Bread

                   hummus and veggies

                   Crockpot bbq chicken with rice with mexi corn and bean medley

Friday - Cold cereal

              leftovers

              Crockpot refried beans with homemade tortillas

       

Saturday - Banana Bread

                  Bean soup and cheesy pizza

                  Pork chops, potatoes and crinkle cut carrots

*Here's the thing.  I know, in theory, that I should just make one meal and have everyone in my family eat it.  But each and everyone of the boys in my house are picky eaters.  It isn't worth the fight. I pick my battles... especially when I also have to factor in my budget and nutrition.

I am also in luck this week, because I have lots of protein in my freezer, beef, pork and chicken.

My budget was $75 for groceries this week.  I came in at $68, which gave me $6 towards picking up my husband's dry cleaning, $1 for church and $1 for my 7 year old's school banking.

Shaws $18.63

Teddy Graham Crackers $1.49

pepper Jack cheese (block) $1.88

80% lean ground beef  3 lb - $8.55 ( made into 10 patties, froze and will go towards 3 meals in the future)

Bananas - ripe, discounted - $.29/lb (about half the price of usual) $1.15

Spinach - discount - $1.49

Hummus - discount $.99

Pretzel rolls - discount $3/8

Hannaford $48.01

American cheese 1/4 lb - $1.03

Provolone 1/4 lb $.96

Mexicorn $1.39

Scrabble cheezits $2.50

Canned tomatoes $.69

brown gravy mix $.79

wholegrain white bread $2.49

Crispy rice cereal $2.50 (dollar off coupon)

prunes $1.99

beef consommé $1.49

Jack cheese, shredded $1.99

Pizza cheese, shredded $1.99

Pretzels $2

3 gallons of milk $8.07

Beefy onion soup mix $1.19

Boneless chuck roast  3.65 lb/$3.39 - $12.77

4 golden delicious apples $1.51

2 cucumbers $1.18

Large Pumpkin (for decorating) $5.99

Celery $1.99

$5 off $50 coupon

I struggle with breakfasts and lunches.  Breakfast is tricky, because most mornings I don't have the time/energy to make a hot breakfast.  Also, one of my kids likes pancakes, the other likes eggs.  No one really likes waffles or French toast.  No one likes muffins.  My boys do seem to like quickbreads.  So, I do those and offer cold cereal with milk.

As for lunch, my youngest and I usually eat dinner leftovers.  My husband and 7 year old could live off of pb&j. So, I buy a loaf of wholegrain white and make 10 "uncrustables", which makes lunch packing tremendously easier.  They get the sandwich, fruit, veg, salty crunchy snack and a sweet treat. They drink water.  We all drink water and then have milk with breakfast and dinner.



Book funk

I'm in a funk. I can tell because I am not really getting into any of the books I am currently reading.  It isn't for lack of interesting books, that is for sure.  I read Outlander last month, which I breezed through.



Then I watched Outlander tv series on Starz, which I loved.  LOVED!!!!!  I have a thing for men in kilts. Great show, great costumes I loved the knit accessories.  I inspired me), great music and great landscapes.



I started reading Dragonfly in Amber. I couldn't get into it.  I don't know why.  It's too bad.  So, I returned it to the library.  I'll try it again in a while.


These are the other books I have borrowed from the library that I can't get into:




I am also not reading any of my favorite fanfiction. I just don't know. Meh. It's probably stress, between the dog, I'm in a wedding next weekend..... it will be amazing, but it is still stressful.  We're going through a lot of changes right now... I can tell I'm off.  Soon enough I'll be over my funk and I'll be blogging about the great new book I'm reading! Stay tuned!

Grocery spending October week 1

Spending for the week of 10/4


$100 allotted for groceries


Shaws supermarket - $7.83


Reese peanut butter cup cereal - $1.98 (normally I don't buy my kids sugar cereal, but it is a treat for them)
Cheerios - $1.98
Avocado - $.88 (good deal, they are usually $.99 to $1.25)
Bacon - $2.99 (good deal for a pound of bacon)


Hannaford supermarket - $66.89


Cheez it scrabble - $2.5
Breakfast sausage - $1.39
frozen chopped spinach - $.89
white vinegar - $2.49 - I use this for cleaning and for a soak/wash for my produce
mac and cheese $1.89- gasp... when desperation sets in
dried pinto beans - $1.29
tonic water - $.79 (well, I did just buy a big thing of vodka...... )
pineapple chunks -  $.99
brownie mix - $.89
grapefruit soda $.99
all fruit strawberry jelly $1.99
canned chipotle peppers - $2.59
2 flour tortillas - $2.98
tomato paste $.59
gingerale - $.69 - to keep in case a stomach bug hits
Apple juice - $2.19
Saltines - $1.49
Honey BBQ sauce - $1.39
shoestring frozen French fries - $1.69
OJ frozen concentrate - $1.79
Frozen blueberries - $2.99
Unsalted butter - $3.19 - OMG, I almost died.  when did butter become so expensive??
zoo cookies/animal crackers- $1.99
parmesan cheese $1.99
2 1% milks - $5.18
Whole milk $2.59
4 lb sugar - $2.29
5 lb flour - $1.79
Dr. Perky soda $.69
plain greek yogurt $1.78
Ground beef $4.93
Veggie Straws $2.99
Bananas - $1.34
cuke $.59
grapes $2.28
rainbow peppers $2.99
carrots $.79


$5 off coupon.




Liquor Store - $20.77


vodka - $10.49 - for making homemade vanilla extract (and possible personal consumption)
Pinot Grigio - $5.29 - I treat myself to 1 bottle of wine a week
Champagne $4.99 - I'm hosting a brunch for 2 of my friends, and really, what is a brunch without Mimosas?




$95.49 total spent


Not a bad shopping excursion.  I did forget to get bread and burger buns, but I have $ remaining.  I have to go to Walmart to get the toiletries and necessities for the week.  A super walmart just opened in our town, so I can grab the groceries I forgot while I am there.

Grocery shopping or I would save more money if I could shop alone.

I stay home with my kids.  It is great, I really wouldn't trade it for the world.  This puts the responsibility on my husband to earn 90% of our income.  For the sake of this blog, let's call my husband Don Draper (Man Men reference)

The nickname for my husband is an inside joke (my husband actually does resemble Don Draper in many ways, except more grey hair)  because in many ways I have become a typical 1950's house wife.  Even my mother, who adores me, teases me about my surprising domesticity.  Mind you, I have a college degree, I was an independent woman before marrying my husband.  I'm an Iraqi War Army veteran.  Geeeezzzzzz....... here I am stuck at home with a bunch of kids.  Oh, did I mention I run a small in-home childcare to supplement my income?  Well, I do.  It is great.  I hand pick the kids/families and it has worked out well.  It isn't lucrative, but it does help the wallet. 

So, here I am, a former chef (that is what I was before my second child was born, then I stayed home), a former soldier, playing house.


Turns out my family needs to eat.  Well, not only eat, but they expect 3 meals and 2 delicious snacks daily. Then the chef in me says "it needs to a be interesting variety and flavorful", Don Draper and the kids say, "We like junk food." The house wife in me says "make it healthy" and the reality of the situation is that we need to make our family's budget work and we have the ability to save money in the grocery department, because I 1. have the time 2. have the ability to cook from scratch. 


There are some blogs I follow. One of my favorite is www.100daysofrealfood.com I am not  as dedicated to whole and organic foods as the blog authors, but I try my best. 


So, this week I am attempting to keep my budget under $80 for the week.


Truth is I went over budget last week, so I have a freezer well stocked with cooked, shredded and portioned chicken, pork chops and a few pork roasts.  Oh, and apple pie and apple crisps.


I have a great schedule.  My childcare baby goes home by 1 most Fridays, so I take OP (3) with me shopping.  My mom, who lives in the same town as I do, picks up JP (7) for a little one on one with him.  WIN all around!


So, here is my initial plan for the week. (Sunday through Saturday)


Sunday
breakfast
lunch
dinner - cheeseburgers, seasoned fries, raw veggies


Monday
breakfast
brunch with friends (Yay!) baked eggs with ham and parmesan cheese, mimosas,
lunch
dinner crockpot butter chicken http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/easy-healthier-crockpot-butter-chicken/ , rice, cauliflower, and homemade naan. (I have chicken, coconut milk, rice, seasonings, and cauliflower in the freezer)


Tuesday
breakfast
lunch
dinner pork chops and pierogi with crinkle cut carrots (all items I have in my freezer)


Wednesday
breakfast
lunch
dinner (Don Draper isn't home) breakfast for dinner - pancakes or eggs  and sausage with pineapple chunks


Thursday
breakfast
lunch
dinner chicken tostada with rice and refried beans  http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/06/25/recipe-chicken-and-cheese-tostadas/, http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/


Friday
breakfast
lunch - Leftovers !!!!
dinner - Don Draper is at a wedding and JP and I are at a wedding rehearsal dinner. OP will be with my parents


Saturday
breakfast


Lunch and dinner - we'll be at a wedding! We'll eat leftovers if we are hungry!


breakfast is usually fruit and peanut butter toast or cereal with milk.
mid morning snack is a fruit and a cookie or crackers
lunch at home is leftovers, lunch for Don Draper and JP is pb&j (all natural pb, all fruit strawberry jam and whole grain white... I make homemade "uncrustables", a fruit, a veg, a salty treat and a sweet treat.
afternoon snack is fruit or veg and crackers or pretzels.


The boys drink milk at breakfast and dinner and water all the other time. 

Moving past "survival mode"

This has been a momentous, bittersweet week for me.  We had to put our beloved basset hound to sleep Monday night.  He was 13, sick, he lived a wonderful 8 1/2 years with us, but he was suffering.  So my husband and I made the difficult choice.

Elvis, our first baby.

Long story short, we grieved, we cried, we remembered all the good times we had with our best buddy Elvis.  We put our boys to bed, then my husband and I went to bed. together. How is that unusual, you ask?  Lady, what is the big deal? You are thinking to yourself. Well, let me tell you.... I began to realize how much effort and energy went into caring for our elderly pet. When the dog couldn't do the stairs, and had to go out at night frequently, my husband would sleep downstairs with the dog.  I would sleep upstairs with our kids. No one would get a good night's sleep.  The racket of going in and out, turning lights on, so we wouldn't fall over the gates (that kept the dog from the stairs), it was exhausting.


Then something interesting and unexpected dawned on me, last night, while I was watching TV.   I was no longer just existing.  I wasn't living to just make it through the day, to get enough rest to make it through the next day.  I have made it out of survival mode. 
 
I have been in survival mode since winter  2011, I was working full time, I had a precocious 3 year old, I was expecting my second child, my mother was going through radiation therapy, and I was helping my sick mother in caring for my elderly grandmother, who lived alone with Alzheimer's.  Things improved, thank goodness...... but..... I was still surviving, existing, if you will.  I wasn't living my life fully.  As the years progressed, I think I hit my low point in February 2014.  I felt like I was a shell of the interesting person I had become.  I slowly dug myself out of my self imposed misery (not quite the right word, misery, but it will do).  Things got better.  My youngest was a challenge at age 2.  I like him much more now that he is 3.  He goes to school twice a week, he has mellowed a bit... Maybe I have mellowed too?


Hey you moms who are in the trenches, living the mini van dream, you can do this.  You really, really can.  Very soon you can laugh about it.  Well, if you can't laugh about it, at least soon you won't want to cry about it.


Hey you moms who have been there and have survived, congratulations!  I'm proud of you.  Remember to give this pep talk, or at least a kindly smile to some woman who is armpits deep.


Thanks for reading my ramblings.  It is entirely too quiet in my house right now and I have to go check and see what nefarious plots are being planned.