This week I only spent $18.63 at Weis…I did the majority of my shopping at Aldi! I spent an all time high of $63.61 there, which makes a total of $82.24. At first I was majorly annoyed that I’d gone over my $80/week goal for February, but then I remembered that I was $5 under budget last week. So, I’m actually still $2.25 under budget for the month of February. Whew!
Next week’s shopping will be a bit of a challenge, as we’re having a birthday get-together here(for Mr. FG and Zoe, who share a birthday), and I’ll have to feed a lot more people than I usually do. I really want to be able to stick with my $80, though…I will have to think creatively!
For breakfast this week, we’ll have oranges, bananas, muffins, oatmeal, cold cereal, bagels, and granola(not all on one day, obviously!). Lunch will be a combination of leftovers, whole wheat bread, yogurt, baby carrots, and fruit.
Here’s what we’re having for dinner. Depending on how things go, I might have to throw another green salad in there one night, as I have three big romaine hearts and a big bag of spinach to use up.
Saturday(we had our Valentine’s meal last night, so tonight we’re having a meal of the kids’ favorite foods)
- BBQ Chicken Pieces
- Buttermilk Biscuits(in heart shapes, of course)
- green salad
- fresh strawberries
Sunday
- Buttermilk Waffles
- OJ
Monday
- Ham Steaks
- green salad
- homemade rolls
Tuesday
- Tortilla Soup(which has vegetables in it.
) - cornbread
- apple slices
)Wednesday
- Fried Shrimp
- fruit salad
- garlic breadsticks
- a chocolate cake in the shape of a fish(Zoe adores all things fish!)
Thursday
- Ham and Cheese Panini(made with leftover ham from Monday)
- fresh pineapple
Friday
- Deep Dish Pizza
- green salad
Rona says
Just wondering why you never eat potatoes or rice. I would think that with the ham or chicken that rice or potatoes would round out the meal. I wonder if some bad habits might be forming with the kids?
Kristen says
Oh, we do eat rice! We had it very recently…I’d have to go back and look, but it was within the last week or two. I always use brown rice instead of white, so that it’s a nutritious addition. I use it in a shrimp and rice casserole, I make a dirty rice dish, I use it whenever I make a stir-fry, and I also include it whenever we have Hibachi Chicken.
It is true that we don’t eat potatoes all that often, but I’m not terribly concerned about it. If my kids wouldn’t eat broccoli or beans or carrots or spinach, that would be one thing, but potatoes aren’t really that amazingly nutritious(aside from their skins) and so I don’t feel really compelled to make efforts to include them a lot. I’m more concerned about including the colorful fruits and vegetables, which are generally more nutritious.
Danielle says
What possible bad habits could come from not eating white potatoes and rice? I’m not trying to be rude but I think Kristen’s children eat much more variety and much less processed foods than most people’s children.
Gail says
Be sure to take a picture of the fish shaped cake! Now that is creative
and fun for Zoe! Do you use a shaped baking pan or cut up a regular cake
to make the shape? Kristen, I had a strawberry yogurt smoothie today and thought of you. I didn’t have any spinach in the house – shopping is this week and I’ll pick up some. I am going to try spinach in the smoothie as well! I used vanilla yogurt from the store. After I had the smoothie, I read the label on the container and it has high fructose corn syrup in it! Corn syrup is in everything! oh yuk! Now I know I have to make my own yogurt!
Stacey says
Congratulations on keeping under your budget overall! I’m really hoping for a week *way* under our $80/budget because I will not be buying any meat and I think we will even have some veggies left over from last week. We’ll see on Monday!
For our next party (we have a gathering of friends over for a Games Night every month) I plan to make pizza. I think it will be a fun party for adults and children if you pre-baked the crusts and then put out toppings for everyone to make their own pizzas (maybe one for the kids and two for the adults, depending on the crowd). You could have toppings like ham and pineapple, loads of chopped veggies, and whatever pre-cooked meats you like (maybe barbequed chicken or sausage). Then they could be baked in just 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve with a big salad (from which everyone could serve themselves) and I think you have a thrifty and delicious party meal! My husband’s birthday is next month and I was thinking of a “pub menu” for his party – maybe a big shephard’s pie (which is just seasoned ground meat with assorted veggies and a mashed potato topping) and big green salad. I love the challenge of feeding a crowd on a budget! And the bottom line is that everyone is so appreciative of your effort (I really don’t know many people who give parties these days.) that it’s important not to stress about any aspect, I think.
Whitney says
I have to agree with Danielle. Kristen your kids have great eating habits. I wouldn’t worry too much about them not eating rice or potatoes. There diet is great!!
Oh also, do you make your own dough for your deep dish pizza? I know stupid question I’m sure you do.
Dana says
Hi Kristen~
I envy all the healthy food you feed to your family. I read that 40-50% of garbage in the landfills is recyclable materials (that were not recycled) and edible food. Isn’t that sad? I am trying REALLY hard not to throw any food away. If you stop and think about it, it’s not impossible…just difficult. Last night I made homemade marinara sauce in my Crock-Pot and I ended up adding grated zucchini and carrots that would have been tossed in the trash. Guess what, it was delicious and added flavor, nutritional value, and texture?
Thanks for you ideas and inspiration,
Dana
p.s. No Root Beer this week?
maddie says
I, too, agree with Danielle. I am impressed that your kids all eat ‘grown up’ food. I usually have one child at least (out of 4) who balks at what I serve for any particular meal. It used to bother me but now I have them just have a tiny portion of what I make (unless they HATE it… because I also don’t like some foods) and then let them have fruit, yogurt and/or a sandwich.
Just tonite though my youngest reminded me how much she loathed tuna as a little one. Amazingly enough, she now loves it!
Keep up the great work and inspiration, Kristen!
CanadianSaver says
I love the picture! That’s a lot of food! Your menu for the week looks great
Julia says
Wow, food costs in your area must be cheaper than in Seattle. We don’t have Aldi here. I go to Trader Joe’s and a local co-op called PCC. They don’t sell anything with high fructose corn syrup and have a ton of organic stuff, with an emphasis on locally grown and in-season produce. My son has some health issues and he’s very sensitive to chemicals etc. in food. I have to buy everything organic and it costs more, I guess. Also we are vegetarian/vegan so we don’t even buy meat so you would think that would be cheaper! Yesterday, I paid $95 at PCC and $21 at Trader Joe’s. That was good! (And that included about $30 for fresh sushi for our family Valentine dinner.) I aim to do $150 or less per week. When I go to Whole Foods (a special treat once every other month or so, they have stuff that PCC does not sell), I have to really struggle, use a calculator, and put stuff back, but I aim to get out of there for $175 – $150 and then I don’t go to my regular stores that week. Thanks for baring your groceries for the world to see, it’s very interesting!
Kristen says
LOL Dana! Nope, I had some root beer from last week that we didn’t drink.
Whitney, I do make my own deep dish pizza dough. and I even took pictures of the whole process…I just haven’t had time to type up the recipe and insert the pictures. I will post it eventually, though, I promise!
Julia, I don’t buy a lot of organic food, so yeah, that’s probably why your bill is higher. I do buy it when I can(organic carrots are pretty darn cheap, and sometimes organic grape tomatoes are cheaper than the regular ones. I also grind organic wheat to make whole wheat flour), but it’s not something I can fit into my budget a lot of the time. And of course, we eat organic garden produce in the summertime.
Trader Joe’s is awesome…they have a lot of the same stuff places like Whole Foods sells, but their prices are so much better.
Rona says
I agree that they eat much more unrefined foods than most people. ( Not prepackaged ) But they seem to eat a TON of bread. What I was thinking was that pasta, potatoes or rice would balance the meals out instead of all the bread. Yes I know it is still a starch. And those items are quite frugal. I know people that will only eat certain items as an adult and trust me their spouses find it a pain. I guess the point I was trying to make that didn’t come through was to have variety instead of always bread. Habbits are learned early. As Kristen herself has written before her family wants bread at every meal. Perhaps it is already a formed habbit. I know bread is a cheep filler but so are the others.
Shana says
@Rona Rona, sorry but that is just a silly statement. The bread Kristen makes is far healthier than rice or potatoes. It’s made with milk and eggs, which have valuable nutrtion. The reason that they eat a lot of bread is because Kristen is an extremely talented baker, and loves to make these items for her family. Let’s face it – rice and pasta are not super foods or anything. They’re just a starch. Big whoop.
Shana says
One other thing. NOT eating rice or potatoes is not a “bad habit”. In fact, I would say one could go their whole lifetime without injesting either of these items and be extremely healthy, especially more so than a person who subsits on a diet of meat and potatoes.
Rona says
You seem to be fixated on the potatoes I never said eat it at every meal. But to possibly add these items for a variety of foods. And nor did I say give up the vegetables. Whole wheat pasta is not a ” bad ” food and I would have to quote you and say that bread is not a super food either. Which part of my statment was ” silly “? Do you think meat and bread at every meal is any diffrent than having meat and potatoes or rice or pasta with some of the meals? The bad habit I was referring to is limiting what foods you expose your children to. Instead of eating a variety of diffrent items. I know Kristen stated she doesn’t like to have to cook her sides and I guess you would have to cook the items I suggested. And to quote you again bread is just a starch also. ( I beleive I did mention that in my post )” Big whoop.”
Erika says
To be fair, all you have to do is look at the photo above to realise that Kristen’s children are exposed to a wide variety of foods. Rice and potatoes are just two foods and I’m sure even the healthiest, least pickiest eaters have a food or 2 they just aren’t that interested in eating.
Also, the lunches and breakfasts, which aren’t always displayed, show more variety. From oatmeal (a super food to some of us), to smoothies, to homemade yoghurts, to salads, etc. I am sure that her family have a much more balanced and nutritious diet than most families out there. It is strange, then , to comment about “bad habits” forming just because there isn’t a huge consumption of rice and potatoes!
Kristen says
Rona, as I mentioned, we do eat rice(not as often as bread, but certainly often enough that my children are used to eating it). We eat pasta too(Lisey LOVES pasta!), although we do a bit more of that in the summer. And I make potatoes every now and then(most often I cube them and panfry them in a little bit of oil, but I also make baked potato soup pretty regularly).
I hope that I haven’t tried to market myself as a perfect parent(I’m not) who feeds her children a perfect diet(I don’t). I have plenty of failings, but honestly, if the worst thing that happens from my parenting is that my children end up preferring bread to rice and potatoes, I will be pretty happy with that. lol
The bottom line is that I think that starches are all on pretty equal footing nutritionally speaking(with whole grain starches winning out, of course), and so I’m not concerned that we will be malnourished by eating one starch more than the others. And since we do eat pasta, rice, and potatoes at least some of the time, I’m also not concerned that my children will be picky eaters when they grow up.
I certainly don’t expect all of my readers to feed their families the same way I do, and I hope that you all don’t expect me to feed my family a perfect diet. This is what works for us and our budget, though.
Kristen says
Oh, I forgot to comment on the not cooking the side dishes…when I said that, I was referring to vegetable side dishes. I generally find it simpler to serve raw produce(just cut it up and serve it!) rather than cooked produce. If I do cook veggies, I do it very briefly(I steam broccoli and green beans for only a few minutes). Basically, I just like to keep it really simple, and that’s a personal preference.
Potatoes or rice could be less time-consuming than bread(although I’ve been baking bread for so long, I’m very fast at it), I suppose, and they might even be a bit cheaper. However, homemade bread is awfully cheap too, and it seems to be fitting into our budget pretty well.
small says
Dear Kristen, I followed you over here from Wasted Food, and I’d like to offer a different perspective: when I was a child, well-meaning neighbors would sometimes criticize my mom for feeding us too much rice (we’re Japanese), and suggest bread and potatoes to give us more variety! She’d do that sometimes, but in addition to, and not instead of, the rice. Since everyone’s weighing in on your kids’ developing palates, I’ve got to say I’m gobsmacked that people are arguing about bread v. other starches. Most kids like carbs in general, and props to you for serving whole-grain versions. Rather, where I would be more concerned is that the children won’t learn to like basic staple proteins like beans/pulses (especially) and perhaps eggs, since their father doesn’t seem to care for them.
Since you were polling about breakfast options earlier, and because you homeschool, I wonder if (as part of your curriculum) you might have an opportunity to introduce your kids to breakfast foods from around the world (many of which contain beans or legumes in some form, or use eggs in savory ways). A small friend of mine really likes vegetarian refried beans in a tortilla for breakfast, for instance, and occasionally at our house, we’ll make miso soup or (very lightly) fried rice with vegetables and egg or tofu, which are breakfast treats in the mother country, as it were.
At any rate, I’m impressed that your family all eat the same food and that your food waste is minimal, even with the little ones.
Kristen says
Small, thanks for your comment. I was actually thinking about that today…about how I’m more concerned that some of my children don’t like eggs and legumes than I am that they’re not too fond of mashed potatoes. lol Happily, my one daughter(the same one that loves broccoli and sweet potatoes) likes beans, so she and I eat them on top of our green salads. And when I make chili, I insist that all the kids eat the beans in their chili(well, they don’t HAVE to, but they do if they want anything more to eat at that meal).
The eggs are more of a problem…I do have this very eggy pancake recipe(it’s sort of like a crepe, but thicker) that my mom used to make when I was a kid, and I was thinking of trying that out on them.
You know what just occurred to me? My husband actually does like hard boiled eggs(but only the whites), so I could serve those sometimes.
Shana says
Kristen, just as a comment on the eggs thing. My kids – all 3 of them – really didn’t like eggs as younger kids. I didn’t typically press the issue, because I could sneak them into things like fried rice or gosh — multitudes of various foods. I mean just because you don’t serve it scrambled up or over easy doesn’t mean it doesn’t county, YK?
So anyhow, as they’ve gotten older, Kaleb and Rachel have developed an absolute passion for scrambled eggs. I have literally **no** idea why. They just like them now *shrug*. So all of that to say, we do our absolute utter best as parents to introduce our kids to healthy, nutritious foods. They may or may not like them as kids, but I’ll be gosh darned if they don’t outgrow lots of stuff as they approach adulthood.
You are such a good mom, and so obviously concerned for every facet of your children’s lives. I think you’re doing a most excellent job
Julia says
Normally, I don’t preach about vegan issues but I just can’t resist, since the discussion has come around to feeding eggs to kids: the egg factory farm industry is one of the worst offenders, both environmentally and of course in animal cruelty issues. Check out http://www.eggindustry.com and http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/animals.html
I can see that your kids are obviously well fed, happy, and healthy, and perhaps most importantly, well-loved. Read what everyone has to say, then follow your heart.
Kristen, I bet all these comments about your personal eating habits and how you feed your kids have made you wonder why you decided to share your life online, right?
Sabrina says
Kristen, just wanted to say that your tortilla soup has become a perpetual favorite around here (sans the cilantro, of course). My brother especially loves it.
Stacey says
@Julia – I really struggle with the issue of how feeding my family has such far-reaching consequences – especially the negative environmental impact of factory farming. I try to find a balance by raising chickens (humanely!) and eating a mostly vegetable-based diet, but I still know I could do more. Right now I am leaning more towards being thrifty with my budget but I know I will lean more towards more environmentally-sound choices in the future. It’s easy to be myopic and say I need to feed my family for less and not think about the environment *right now*, but the reality is that we have an unsustainable system and our children are going to pay if we don’t make more difficult (and expensive) choices sooner than later.
And yes, I also find it fascinating to read what Kristen is buying and feeding her family. But I also feel like if I am going to enjoy myself, I need to put myself under the same microscope, so I’ve started a similar series at my blog. You can read what’s cooking at my house this week here:
http://myfriendoprah.blogspot.com/2009/02/whats-cooking-216-222.html
Kristen says
Julia, I’m not gonna lie…on Saturday, I was starting to wonder if maybe I just wasn’t cut out for blogging. I’m not very good at receiving criticism, and I’m a recovering people-pleaser. But, it’s an area of my life that I’m trying to grow in, and so probably this is exactly the sort of thing that I need.
I’ll probably just need to expect that as my blog grows(which is very exciting, don’t get me wrong! I’m delighted that more and more people are coming to read what I write!) I’ll likely get more of this type of thing, and I need to learn to handle it properly.
I would dearly love to find a local source of cage-free eggs…I think a family at my church has chickens, and I was going to ask them if they ever sell the eggs. We do get our milk from a happy cow who roams grassy fields at a nearby farm(well, she just had a calf, so we don’t have any at the moment, but we will soon). And I buy organic whole wheat from a local farm, which I grind into flour. So, I try to do some earth-friendly, animal friendly buying.
My husband would make a horrible vegan, as he doesn’t like beans or lentils, so I don’t think that’s a road we’re going to be able to travel! lol
Julia says
I’m so impressed that you grind your own flour, that is just something I can’t see myself doing. It’s a good idea to ask around about local chickens that are well-cared for, as you plan to do. Every little earth-friendly and animal-friendly bit helps, it truly does. As Stacey was saying above, we need to look at what we are doing as a society and find a way to make it better. That you are blogging about your choices and your experiences makes you a part of the solution. As for husbands, mine doesn’t like lentils at all either, so we never eat those. He eats vegetarian at home, and then whatever he wants when he’s out. He does get a budget-busting expensive steak to grill now and then, but treating oneself is an important part of life so I encourage him to do that. I think it’s better than eating hamburger every day, as I was forced to do when I was a child! Also I have to say, I am a huge hypocrite and if I’m out in the world and there is cake of any kind, I dig right in even though I know it may have eggs in it. Cake is my drug of choice!
so be proud that you are doing the work on yourself while you are young enough to reap the full benefits. Take care, and my best to you and yours. And thanks for not yelling at me for posting vegan stuff on your blog, hah. 
I am not good with criticism either, I am the daughter of a very critical German and have never felt good enough. I admire you for putting yourself out there and doing your blog. I am almost 42 and still dealing with these issues—from the look of your picture, I’d say you are MUCH younger
Kristen says
Oh, that’s not as impressive as it sounds. I have a mill, and so all I have to do is turn it on, pour the grain in, and out comes the flour. lol
And yep, you’ve got a few years on me…I’m 30(although, I’ll be 31 in April).
Although I’m not able to buy a lot of organic food, I do help the planet by not buy a lot of prepacked, processed food. Also, I recycle faithfully, I compost, I use rags and washcloths instead of paper towels, I buy used stuff instead of new whenever possible, and so on. So, I’m not a completely hopeless case.
Kristen says
Oh, Julia and Small, just so you know, your comments did not make me rethink whether or not I wanted to blog. While you offered opinions different than my own, I felt like you were polite and kind about it, and so I didn’t feel offended by what you said.
It was Rona’s comment, about the bad habits in my kids that made me feel that way. I don’t know Rona, as she’s never commented or emailed me before, so who knows, perhaps Rona was trying to be polite and kind as well…the internet makes it difficult to interpret these sorts of things, and it takes skill and practice to communicate kindness using only a keyboard. Heaven knows that when I first starting talking to people on the internet, back in 2001, I had a lot to learn about tact and kindness.
And of course, I need to learn to respond to criticism and correction with humility(even when the criticism feels unkind)…it’s my pride that makes that hard.
At any rate, I do want my readers to feel free to comment and speak their minds…I just want people to remember that a real person with real feelings is behind the blog, that’s all. Julia and Small, you both seemed like you remembered that. and I’m appreciative.
Kiki says
Kristin,
I keep trying to cut the food budget back and every week it is shrinking by quite a few dollars. I used to spend around $200, and now have it down to about $160-170( I have 2 teen aged boys well over 6 feet who eat like truck drivers and still are very thin, and 2 little girls active in sports and eat and eat and growing like weeds). My question is this: When you say you spend $80 at the grocery store, does that include stuff like toothpaste, pet food, kitty litter, laundry soap, shampoo, tylenol, and feminine products and the like? I’ve been including that in my budget. If you’re spending the $80 on just food I can kind of understand, but if you’re counting in all that other stuff, forget it, I just can’t do it. You are a superwoman. You’re a tiny little thing right? I noticed on your Old Navy dress you’re a petite person, are your kids and hubby too? a
I’m 5’10, my husband is over 6 feet, the boys are and I think the girls are gonna be very tall some day too. We’re all think, exercise a lot and consume a ton of very healthy calories too. I’m pleased with saving 40 or 50 dollars a week from what I used to spend. That’s almost $200 a month I’ll be leaving in the check book to put toward college costs in the not to distant future. You are an inspiration.
Kristen says
Kiki, we’re a pretty thin family overall, although we’re not very short. My husband is six feet and I’m 5’8″. However, my children are a LOT younger than yours are…my oldest is only 9! So, it makes total sense that you’re spending more than I am. You guys probably just need more food than we do, and someday when I have four teenagers, I’m sure I’m going to need to spend a lot more!
Don’t hate me, but yes, the $80-$100 a week includes toiletries and cleaning stuff. =P But, I’ve been shopping frugally for going on 12 years now, and I wasn’t nearly this good at it back when I began. You should feel proud that you’re saving $40-$50 a week…that’s certainly nothing to sneeze at, and I bet you’ll manage to shave it down farther the more you practice. Plus, one day your nest will be a bit emptier, and you won’t have to buy so much food.
Keep up the good work!