Aldi
2 gallons Milk – $3.18
1 32-oz carton Half and Half – $1.55
1/2 gallon Unsweetened Almond Milk – $1.79
1 32-oz carton Greek Yogurt – $3.19
5 single-serving cartons Greek Yogurt – $2.95
1-lb box Butter Quarters – $2.59
1 pkg fresh Chicken Drumsticks ($0.99/lb) – $6.35
1 16-oz pkg Deli Meat – $2.49
1-lb Country Sausage – $3.05
2 boxes Annies Macaroni and Cheese – $2.38
1 box Cocoa Rice – $1.45
1 box Rice Squares – $1.55
1 family-size box Honey Nut Crisp Oats – $2.49
1 box Crisp Rice – $1.45
1 family-size box Frosty Flakes – $2.19
1 jar Onion Powder – $0.95
1 jar Dried Parsley – $0.95
1 jar Dried Oregano – $0.95
1 bag Frozen Strawberries – $2.95
1 3-ct pkg Garlic Heads – $1.19
1 Seedless Watermelon – $3.69
1 bunch Bananas ($0.38/lb) – $1.02
2 cans Green Beans – $0.94
1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.59
1 bag Cherries ($1.19/lb) – $3.51
1 tub Artisan Lettuce – $2.89
1 3-lb bag Pink Lady Apples – $3.99
1 3-lb bag Fuji Apples – $3.29
1 3-lb bag Red Onions – $2.19
2 bags frozen Broccoli Florets – $1.70
1 bag Baby Carrots – $0.89
1 bag Spinach – $0.99
1 can Dill Pickles – $1.15
1 jar Salsa – $0.95
2 cans Tomato Paste – $0.82
1 jar Organic Preserves – $2.29
1 jar Strawberry Jam – $1.69
3 8-oz chunks Cheddar Cheese – $4.35
1 16-oz bag Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – $2.59
1 16-oz bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $2.59
1 can Parmesan Cheese – $1.99
1 12-oz pkg Chocolate Chips – $1.19
1 16-oz box Rotini Pasta – $0.75
1 bag Rice Cakes – $1.89
2 loaves Honey Wheat Bread – $1.80
Total: $96.83
Bush-N-Vine
(local CSA – we have a weekly membership that some dear friends gifted us with)
Cucumbers, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Corn on the Cob, Blackberries, Cherry Tomatoes, Beans
Weekly Grocery Total: $96.83
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfasts. Choices include:
Cereal, Oatmeal, Scrambled/Boiled/Fried Eggs, Toast, Fruit, Yogurt
Lunches
Deli Meat Sandwiches, Apples, Cucumbers x 2
Peanut Butter and Jelly on Rice Cakes, Blackberries, Pepper/Grape Tomatoes
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Carrots, Apples x 2
Leftovers x 2
Dinners
Homemade Pasta Sauce with Sausage over Rotini, Tossed Salad, Green Beans
Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, Cucumber/Tomato Salad, Corn on the Cob, Watermelon
Venison Meatloaf, Easy Fried Eggplant, Biscuits, Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
Date Night Out (for our 16th anniversary! -kids eat Macaroni and Cheese at home)
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza, Tossed Salad, Watermelon
Venison Roast in the Instant Pot, Mashed Potatoes, Cherries, Broccoli, Ultimate Double Chocolate Brownies
Leftovers (or Pancakes)
Love making do with what you’ve got. Won’t bore you with the story but I’ve not cooked much for several months and recently began cooking most of our meals again. Tonight turned into a bit of a marathon cooking session as we have several things in the evenings this week. I’m sharing these in the event they may spark ideas for someone else!
Last night I was going to make Szechuan pork (sounds fancy but it was a 20 minute meal with ground pork) and did not have oyster sauce (truly, how many people do?). I thought, eh, we like peanut sauce so I replaced the 1/2 cup of oyster sauce with 1/2 cup peanut butter. My husband absolutely loved it and the kids thought it was good, too. It also called for green beans or asparagus. I didn’t have either so threw in a bag of frozen broccoli.
Because there was so much leftover rice (I intentionally cooked too much), I used it to make fried rice tonight. Still didn’t have oyster sauce (ha!) so just added a little extra soy sauce. The recipe called for diced carrots but I had a bag of shredded carrots so went with that. Delicious!
Then I made manicotti to just bake tomorrow evening and ended up using a little of this cheese and a little of that because I only had one of the cheeses of the four called for! I’ll have to let you know tomorrow how manicotti stuffed with cottage cheese (one of our kids hates the texture of ricotta), parmesan, mixed Italian, and a small log of goat cheese turns out. To top it, I made a homemade marinara sauce but didn’t have a 28 oz can of tomatoes so used one 15 oz can of tomato sauce and a lonely can of tomato soup with added herbs, onion and garlic. Taste tested that one and it is delicious.
Lastly, I made peanut butter bars. It called for two sleeves of Ritz crackers but I can’t have gluten so I used our personal sized smoothie blender to crush gluten free Lance crackers (the closest thing to a Ritz cracker for those who can’t have gluten) but was shy of the total grams so tossed in some gluten free vanilla wafers. The bars are soooo delicious!
I’ll be the first to admit that some ad hoc changes turn out better than others but it sure helps to use up what you have.