Grocery Spending/Menu Plan | with no stuffed animals
I'm sorry.
(those of you that always wonder if I ever buy toiletries should take note of the shampoo and conditioner on the right side of this photo. 🙂 Also, I bought two tubes of toothpaste this week. )
The weather was so nice, my kids were running around outside while I was taking the grocery picture, which means that they weren't inside to add stuffed animals to the groceries.
{this is them running around at a local park the other day. Though this is not my yard, I thought this photo could still serve as an illustration.} 😉
Isn't it funny how children just have this innate urge to run? It's their default mode and it seems to be almost universal. Why walk when you can run??
Hmm...based on that one picture, our park looks very un-parklike. Just so you know, it does have a playground.
And a pond.
It's been a park-filled week...yesterday my sister and I spend a grand portion of the day at another local park with our kids (7 combined). Gotta enjoy the beautiful weather while it's here!
So, back to the topic at hand. I spent at $27.59 at Weis and at $45.92 at Aldi, which means my total outlay was $73.51. Very pleased with that!
What are we eating?
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
- Deep Dish Pizza
- root beer
- green salad
Sunday
Monday
- Panini sandwiches
- green salad
Tuesday
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Whole Wheat Rolls
- cucumber salad
Wednesday
- Beef au Jus Sandwiches (these got bumped from last week's menu)
- whatever produce needs using
Thursday
- Tropical Chicken
- Zucchini Patties
- No-Knead Artisan Bread (I'm finally going to try this recipe!)
Friday (This is Lisey's birthday celebration day, and she has chosen the menu)
- Stuffed Shells
- Cheese Twists
- orange jello (the same one we had on Zoe's birthday)
- a chocolate cake in the shape of a Peep, naturally
That's a great price for groceries--especially considering you included non-food items like shampoo. The weeks where I buy toiletries and cleaning supplies are usually the ones that break my budget. . . due to lack of planning and how expensive some of that stuff can be!
I had that same problem but not for many years now. Try Dollar Tree if there is one in your area. You can't beat the prices, everything is a buck. They have the same Suave shampoo in Frugal Girl's picture as well as Crest toothpaste and I am betting the dollar I paid is cheaper than the grocery store. They also have great cleaning supplies. Some name brands, some off brands but I have as of yet to be disappointed! :0)
I love everything about Aldi! I never have to worry about my car being dinged by a runaway grocery cart because you pay a quarter to "rent" the basket so they all get taken back because people want their quarter back! You had asked in another post, what did people like/not like about Aldi. The only thing that I have sometimes not had good luck with are their apples. A few bags were firm to the touch but mushy when you bit into them. Other bags have been fine so I still buy them. Now, I loved their sour cream (I know you did not) but I get the low-fat variety, maybe that makes a difference. I won't list everything that I buy there but some of my favs are their cereals, pickles, soda, fresh vegetables, spinach leaves, bagged salad mixes, low-fat yogurts, and their fat free cottage cheese is awesome!
As a side note, I also shop at grocery outlet stores and pick up amazing bargains there as well. Thank you for your blog, love it!
I love seeing children at play....good for the body and the soul!
Fantastic total! I was happy with my total this week also! My sister's birthday is Friday too. However she's turning 21 and is really just excited about being able to order a glass of wine at a restaurant! 🙂
I love your posts, but i'm just gonna come right out and say it...seems something is missing with no sweet lil stuffed animals amongst all the grocery goodies 🙂
Today at lunch I informed my kids that they slacked this past week, and they've promised not to let you down next week. lol
Good job, Kristin!
I will be looking forward to reading about how your artisan (no-knead) bread turns out, what you think of the process and how it tastes!
What?! No stuffed animals?! Well the quality of this blog is certainly going downhill since I started reading. *over-dramatic sigh*
((hugs))
Yeah. I think we need a quality control team or something. lol
The un-stuffed critters make up for it. 😉
mmmmmmmm,chocolate cake in shape of a peep. Sounds amazing.....
A question for Lisey, does she actually like the marshmellow peeps, if so does she eat them fresh or aged till they are super chewey. We are hard core peep lovers here.
We toasted some over a campfire this week and there were surprisingly yummy that way. 🙂
She actually likes the stuffed ones better than the real ones! But when she eats the real ones, she usually eats them when they're soft and fresh.
You will just adore the artisan bread. I make it all the time ( And I'm not a bread baking kind of gal) and often take some to friends going through hard times or during an illness. It's so darn easy and yummy. Our favorite is the olive oil recipe-it keeps well in the fridge for the next couple of days....not that there's any left after dinner 🙂
jana
I would love the recipe for the no knead artisan bread. Can you tell me where to find it?
Thanks!
Mandy
I haven't decided for sure which recipe I'm going to use. I'll let you know when I decide, though! lol
Good luck with using up the coriander this week!
I just wanted to pass along a yogurt related comment. I made some yogurt that turned out very runny for some unknown reason, I am not sure why. I tried to add a bit of jello to thicken, but all it did was colour it pink. Hmm. Then, I added a package of vanilla pudding mix, blended it and made yogurt-pudding frozen pops, which were a big hit with my son. Why won't my yogurt set??? Any tips would be much appreciated, thank you. Sorry, I am ahead of the Monday Q&A post, but I can wait until then for the answer...
Has yours ever set? Is this just an anomaly? Mine has only not worked once, and that's when I used an off-brand starter. Is your thermometer correct? You might want to check that.
Sometimes yogurt is not thick when you first take it out of the cooler, but it thickens in the fridge. Did you let yours sit for a while before calling it officially runny?
Also, did you use whole milk? Yogurt made with whole milk will be thicker than yogurt made with lower fat milk.
Hope that helps!
Have fun with the artisan bread! I have made it several times using "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" and was so thankful I had not chosen to pass on my baking stone to someone I knew who actually used them. I now use mine often. Some tips - one loaf at a time on a stone, unless you have two stones; keep the water to just the cup they mention - too much = soggy bread; let your kids watch the dough literally rise before their eyes. I use a tall container (holds a 5 lb. bag of flour) and the dough will pop the top off the container - high kid appeal and a science experiment in the process! Enjoy!
LOL @ fried mush! it actually looks tasty though. 🙂
I always look for those Suave coupons... had two in last weeks paper so did some stocking up.
I think some adults have an innate urge to run as well; we just don't give into it as freely as children for fear of looking silly. I think I'm going to stop worrying about looking silly. 🙂
Grace
P.S. I kinda miss the stuffed animals. 🙂
Kids are almost always wearing clothes that are suitable to run in. Grownups, alas, are not.
Kristen - You're making not-from-a-mix-chocolate-birthday-cake again this week. May I ask, what is your frosting recipe? I make the most abysmal frosting on earth...I think I MUST be making it too difficult. It's too sweet, or too runny, or too stiff. What's your secret?
My family has a history with terrible frosting experiences though: my mother once made "frosting" from raw egg whites, like a meringue but without cooking it. I guess since that experience -- eating raw egg "frosting" on a birthday cake -- I'm afraid and always do it wrong. Like attempting to make whipping cream and ending up with butter. Help!
Thanks, Vanessa
Your comments about kids wanting to run everywhere reminded me that we nick named our son Forrest Gump when he was younger ("run Forrest, run!") lol. I also need to thank you for weaning me off the bread machine. I thought I couldn't make bread by hand but your recipes and techniques have converted me and my bread is so much better than the machine turns out.