I took multiple photos again, since several of you said that was helpful.
First up, here’s my meat purchases for the week…pepperoni for pizza, and an all-natural chicken ($1.49/pound, which isn’t too bad for really good chicken).
Here’s my refrigerated stuff, which is all from Aldi. The red gallon of milk is for yogurt, and the other is for cereal and for cooking purposes.
This is my produce (the leafy stuff in back is a bunch of radishes, which my kids are newly fond of).
And here’s everything else.
I spent $63.87 at Aldi and $39.24 at Weis, which brings my total to $103.11; almost on budget.
Breakfasts this week will be yogurt, bananas, muffins, toast, and oatmeal. Lunches will be homemade yogurt, yogurt smoothies, fruit, sandwiches, and leftovers as necessary.
Dinners will be as follows:
Saturday-My husband’s family is coming over for another multi-birthday celebration (we have oodles of birthdays in February and March!), so we’re not having our usual Saturday night pizza.
- Penne Pasta and Shrimp in Pink Sauce
- Honey-Glazed Rolls
- green salad
Sunday
- We’re visiting some friends after church, so I have no idea what we’re eating!
Monday-this meal got bumped from last week
- BBQ Chicken
- grilled vegetables
- Cheddar Twists
Tuesday
- Beef au Jus sandwiches on french bread
- Spinach Salad
Wednesday
- Roasted whole chicken with stuffing
- cranberry sauce
- whatever produce needs using by then
Thursday
- Broiled Tilapia
- Pull-Apart garlic bread
- Zucchini Patties
Friday
- Cream of Mushroom soup
- Garlic Breadsticks
- green salad
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
hey Kristen, Looks Good! But how did you do on your budget? Thanks Melissa:)
It is posted right under the last picture. Did the yummy food in the picture distract you? When I read your comment I had to re-look too.
Thanks Amanda, I read the post BEFORE I had coffee!
No problem. It is Saturday after all. (I had to double take when I read your comment… The pictures of yummy food totally distracted me. I’m also pregnant so any food is distracting.)
And I DID forget to post that info a few weeks ago! lol
Love the PEZ pigs!!!
What is pink sauce?
It’s tomato sauce with cream in it. SO good.
yummy! Thanks for sharing. It’s inspiring.
How much was your Celestial Seasons Chai if I may ask? I love their teas and often get a sampler or the Red Zinger. I find my box of Chai lasts a while as Chai is a fall/winter tea for me.
I am always looking for sales on that brand since it isn’t cheap.
Mine was on sale for $2.99 a box and I had a coupon for $1 off on box. So, $1.99 when all was said and done.
Our Meijer had them on sale for $2.99 too. All the sale ones were gone and I was going to get rainchecks but the kids had enough of shopping by that point. I am going to try again.
Kristen have you ever tried making your own crackers? I haven’t found a recipe that isn’t too rich and that my kids will enjoy. If you have found one, I would love to see it.
PS The hamburger buns and yogurt are still being enjoyed by my family. Delicious!
I haven’t yet…cracker experimentation is on my to-do list, though. lol
What are somethings you like to buy at Aldi’s and somethings you don’t?
A post on that is forthcoming.
Maaaybe this week if I can get my thoughts together.
You’ve probably answered this before, but…….do you include paper products and toiletries in your grocery spending?
Yes, indeedy. It’s all inclusive. lol We don’t use a lot of paper products aside from toilet paper, though, and we don’t go through a ton of toiletries either (you will see them every now and then in my grocery pictures, though…I know I bought some shampoo a few weeks ago).
Maybe I am missing something..I am new to this blog..but the only meat that you bought was pepperoni and a chicken, yet your menu has shrimp listed and beef for sandwiches?
lol! I can see where that would be confusing. I often use meat in my meals that’s in my freezer…for instance, I bought the beef chuck several weeks ago, cooked it all, used it for a meal, and froze enough to use for another meal of Beef au Jus sandwiches.
I’m wondering if you use the chicken bones to make homemade chicken stock? Either for using right away or freezing?
Just wanted you to know that my husband and I made a variant on your pull apart garlic bread tonight. We added some fresh rosemary and fresh garlic and they were absolutely delicious! Love that recipe, thanks for it!
Can you explain how to cook a whole roast chicken with stuffing? My husband is the good cook but I am attempting to learn to surprise him.
Kari – I’m going to ask this since you mentioned you’re learning to cook. Have you tried roasting a chicken before? Even without stuffing it’s one of the hardest dishes in a cook’s repetoire.
May I suggest a slightly different preparation, which makes the cooking a lot more realiable? It’s Butterflied Chix over Stuffing. You cut the chix open, cook it flat, and make the stuffing separately.
You cut the bird open along the backbone or see if the store will do it for you. Then you brine it (soak it in 1c. salt dissolved in 1 gal water for 4-12 hours) to make the meat moister and easier to cook. Lay the chix, skin up, on a roasting pan and roast till it’s *almost* done. The BEST way to tell if it’s done is to use a thermometer – the breast should be 155F (remember this is almost fully cooked meat). Then remove, cover with a tin foil tent, and let rest for 10-20 min; during the time the chix will finish cooking and the juices get reabsorbed into the meat, making it jucier.
Meanwhile make and cook your stuffing in a roasting pan. It can – indeed should – cook at the same time as the chix.
Spread the stuffing on a serving plate, lay the chix on top, put something pretty around the sides of the plate – presentation makes a bug difference in how food is perceived – and serve.
Kristen, we have started making our yogurt with whole milk from Aldi (instead of our usual skim) on your suggestions. I have to say, it IS much tastier! Much thicker and creamier and deliciousnessier, and now my partner is gobbling it up, too! And we made yogurt smoothies several times this past week (we’d made probably 2 gallons of yogurt for a party that didn’t all get eaten) with frozen berries from last summer. Yum! How great is that – homemade yogurt smoothies with frozen berries picked at ripeness? woohooo!
Just curious: do you find that posting your weekly menu makes you more likely to follow the menu plan? I ask because I always start out with a plan . . .and then I just make whatever I feel like, often the food stretches farther than I thought etc.