It's a menu-plan-only week (almost)
On Saturdays, I share my menu plan for the upcoming week along with a photo of my groceries and a tally of my spending. My goal is to spend $100/week for our food, toiletries, and cleaning products. I'm currently in the midst of trying to buy more local, sustainably-produced food while sticking to my budget. Can it be done? I don't know, but I'm going to try, and I'll share what I learn as I go along.
Weeks without grocery shopping totally rock. I know I say that on every off week, but it's true! I love having that extra time to spend on something other than shopping.
I also find that going two weeks between shopping trips makes it easier to use up more of my food. When I was going every week, I was always bringing home new, fresh produce, and then of course I wasn't as interested in eating the produce left from the last week. Now, though, I'm being forced to use up what's in my fridge, and that's good for the food waste front.
I did make a teeny grocery stop and I spent $6.18, so I'm right on target for my budget. Yay!
Breakfast this week is nothing out of the ordinary...cereal, oatmeal, toast, yogurt, fruit, scrambled eggs, and pancakes. Not all on the same day. 😉
Lunches will be comprised of sandwiches made with whole wheat bread, homemade yogurt, yogurt smoothies, cottage cheese, fruit, raw veggies, nuts, cheese, and leftovers as necessary. Of course, we don't eat all of that every single day...it's just a list of the things we choose from for lunch each day. And Mr. FG eats leftovers for lunch pretty much every day.
Here's what'll be cooking for dinner at my house this week:
Saturday
- French Bread Pizza (and then we're watching The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, since we just finished reading the book aloud to the kids)
Sunday
- Lunch will be at church (I'm bringing Honey-Glazed Pan Rolls), and then in the evening, we're going to eat some snacky stuff...fruit, veggies, smoothies, popcorn, cheese, and granola bars, I think.
Monday
- Shrimp Salad Sandwiches
- fruit salad
Tuesday
- Grilled Chicken w/Avocado Salsa (this got bumped from a previous menu)
- green beans
Wednesday
- BBQ Beef Ribs (I've never cooked these before in my life, but they came with our section of the cow, so I'm giving them a try!)
- Cheese Bread
- Spinach Salad
Thursday
- Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
- grilled veggies
- maybe some chips
Friday
- Takeout date night for Mr. FG and me, something easy for the kids
Today's 365 post: Using up some pineapple
Joshua's 365 post: Untitled
Just FYI with the beef ribs: They tend to be really, really fatty. So it's best to either cook them in a roasting pan with a rack so the fat drains off, or, if you're braising them, leave time to skim off the fat in the sauce with a spoon. Unless you really like a half inch of grease. Yikes.
Ok, that's good to know! These are from a local grass-fed cow, so hopefully they'll be good.
Oh yes, they'll be good. We buy a whole or half cow at a time and the ribs are actually some of the best meat. Once the fat is dealt with,that is.
I cook them on Day 1, drain the sauce and fridge it (and the ribs separately, of course) overnight, and removed the solidified fat from the sauce. There's a *scary* large amount of it.
The first time I cooked them I learned I don't like the ribs, but the gravy was to die for. It took 4 hours of cooking, though.
Another tip for the ribs---cook long and slow! It will make them very tender.
I love your menu and the thing that stood out most for me was that you read that book to your precious children! They will always have that memory. Too many children grow up without their parents reading to them. I did. I am so proud of you and Mr. FG!!!
I can totally understand that a two-week shop works - I hate shopping. But as I do mine online and only plan for 7-days it's works quite well for me - the shop takes about 20 mins from the comfort of my desk and I can add things on should I forget them... which isn't very often - I try to be one organised lady when it comes to food. I've got to try the honey glazed rolls and can't believe I haven't yet! maybe next week - after Easter...
I alwyays put my ribs in the slow cooker on the longest setting... the meat is always falling off the bones when they are done. I usually put them on a broiling pan after, slather with BBQ sause and put them in the oven for a bit just to get that crusty top. Drool.
If you're planning to cook them on the grill (since I know you love your grill!), you can also try boiling them ahead of time. I haven't made ribs, but we used to go to my parents' friends' house every summer for a big cookout - something like 50 people! The host would boil the ribs the day before to get them cooked while keeping them moist, then let them soak in bbq sauce overnight. The next day, he'd fire up a (big) grill, then put on the ribs to warm up and give the outside that nice char. They were always the hit of the party.
We got half a cow this year, and I too, just cooked the ribs for the first time in my life. This is the recipe I used (I adapted it a little, based on the ingredients I had on hand). http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/168323/crockpot-beef-short-ribs We love this recipe. The flavors are amazing. I now use this flavor combination on all of my roasts.
Oh, and if you're ever looking for a homemade bbq sauce, I've made the Neely's sauce from Food Network a number of times: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/neelys-bbq-sauce-recipe/index.html
It is delicious, easy, freezes well, and if you can find inexpensive ketchup, considerably cheaper than a comparably-tasty sauce.
The only change I've ever made to it is to add 1/4 -1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder to give it just a hint of heat. Otherwise it's strictly a sweet-savory type of sauce.
Be forewarned even from a grass fed cow they are usually very fatty parts, we made the mistake of grilling them the first time--the fat drips down and starts its own fire, so cook with foil or use another method to get rid of lots of the fat first to avoid very charred ribs!
Over the past year I have started to make my own cleaners. As my previous store bought cleaners run out I replace them with home made at pennies on the dollar. Thus far I have been really happy with it!
Kristen, your menu sounds fantastic! Do you have a recipe for the shrimp salad or do you just add mayo? (everything is good with some mayo!!)
Have you ever established your own fruit/vegetable garden to save money at the grocery store?
Kristen, will your family be watching the animated 1979 version of Lion, Witch, Wardrobe, or will you watch the live action movie from a few years ago? I LOVED the animated movie as a kid...although it is pretty bad animation by today's standards. A little painful to watch as an adult.
I also think it's great that you read aloud to your kids. My mom read the WHOLE Little House series to us when we were kids. Those are still some of my favorite memories with her. Keep it up, your kids will thank you. 🙂