What I spent, what we ate
Well.
The What I Spent portion of this post is going to be kind of boring because I didn't really go grocery shopping. I picked up $18 worth of items at Aldi at the beginning of the week, and that was it.
Which handily makes up for my expensive shopping last week.
Schweet.
February Spending
Week 1: $242
Week 2: $18
The only downside of this lite-on-shopping week is that we ended up eating a kind of vegetable-light set of dinners.
Luckily, I still made green smoothies every morning, though, so we were not completely bereft of greens this week.
Monday
We started our week out with fish tacos. And guacamole, of course.
We also ate applesauce from the freezer.
Tuesday
I had a number of bread odds and ends in the freezer, so we had a French toast night.
I made strawberry syrup to go with the french toast, and also cooked up some fresh pork sausages.
Wednesday
I tried a Cook's Illustrated recipe for Parmesan Risotto with roasted chicken, and my girls weren't big fans of the risotto. I think it might be because they aren't much on wine-flavored things.
Ah well. You win some and you lose some.
Thursday
We had band rehearsal, so the kids and I ate at home beforehand. The girls and I ate apple pfannekuchen, and Joshua made a sub.
We met Mr. FG at rehearsal, and I brought him some sushi for day 11 of The 14 Days of Valentines. 😉
Friday
It is a pizza night, of course. I will probably make basic pizza. Unless my day gets crazy, in which case I may break down and get carryout pizza. 😉
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How's the grocery spending going at your house? And what have you been eating?
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P.S. Joshua and I are late this week, but we finally posted our takes on the portrait assignment.
(I saw the assignment and was all, "Woo!" and Joshua was all, "Ohhh dear." Basically the opposite of how we react to landscape assignments. 😉 )
I finally, after 4 years reading this blog, drove the extra 5 minutes to Aldi to see what all the fuss was about. This was 3 weeks ago.
In those 3 weeks I easily saved hundreds. Both because the sales and prices are so great and because Iwas not walking through a gigantic colorful store being tempted by all the things we "need" like new socks, crafting projects for kids or fun new straws. I got kids class Valentines for $2.85/24pk of Fun Dips instead of the usual $10-15 per kid I drop on holiday parties!
The savings are so fantastoc for the way I shop that we paid for a date night out to celebrate and when the fridge broke, repairs came out of the "regular spending" monthly bill!!!
Thanks. I sure wish I tried Aldi sooner. I DID go in about 15 years back but it was not for me. I shopped differently back then. And I usually had close to no money in my checking and had to use a cc just to get by. Ahhh the single life of a young 20. Don't miss that part.
Oooh, this makes me so happy! YAY!
Congratulations! I know people often look at me funny when I give my Aldi testimonial lol, but once you try it - you get it!
I wish we had an Aldi here - Louisiana doesn't have them - but when I lived in Ohio it was my go to store!
We have been watching sugars and carbs due to a precarious blood test for my husband. Soups are great--not so much creamy ones--in this cold snap, and he is trying to use whole grains and enjoy salads more. It is a challenge filling him up--big eater--but he has agreed to smaller portions with only one snack per day. Using less meat cuts costs, and I am trying to use tons of vegetables, which somewhat evens things out. Still experimenting. I am always eager to read and try your recipes. Groceries are costly, but that is the last place we have chosen to be cheap, esp. as we age. We enjoy our meals! Thanks for all your posts. I love to read your blog.
If you need to stretch meat across things like tacos or pasta dishes, add some chopped mushrooms or beans for more protein, while keeping carbs relatively low. Beans & rice together are supposed to form a complete protein, as well as lima beans and corn, if I remember correctly.
My husband's family has a history of diabetes, so I try to cook more protein rich dishes that are still budget friendly.
Oh, and eggs. Eggs are always a good choice. 🙂
Thanks!
We too have had a reality check with my husbands health and I was worried I wouldn't be able to solve this by shopping at aldi as I usually do. I'm so happy to say I have been able to adjust most every meal with groceries purchased from there. The egg option is now a once a week dinner and I found a recipe for a spinach frittata that meats his sugar requirements and tastes delicious. I've also purchased their lean sirloin, ground turkey, chicken breasts and pork loin. Unsweetened applesauce and low fat cottage cheese from aldi is just as good as name brand. I also purchased their spices and make all my own mixes now for turkey tacos and turkey chili and it's just as good as the packets. One of the only items I have had to go elsewhere for is milk, they don't carry 1% milk.
My husband was out of town this week, so I did more "easy"/"Junky" meals (Fish sticks/french fries, corn dogs, pancakes). Add that in with a Super Bowl party on Sunday and I've spent my weekly budget and borrowed from next week for basics like bread/lunch meat/apples (lunch basics). While we never ate out, just buying those pre-made foods for four kids is so expensive, it was a good reminder why I cook! 🙂 I did buy the good bread flour to make soft pretzles for the Super Bowl party, so I think we'll do homemade pizza tonight...its been awhile since I made it.
I've been debating what to do this week. My dad is here helping me with the kids, so I try to do my big Aldis run when he is here. But I'm also trying to do a freezer and pantry clean up. I think the clean up is going to have to take place over the next few weeks because I can't push the cart and a stroller in the store (three year old and 9 month twins).
I've been loving the ATK cookbook you've recommended, the quick meals one...and all of the meals were selected by my 15 year old. We had sirloin kabobs with a fancy rice dish (don't remember what it was called, but delicious!), honey lime tilapia, baked salmon, Italian chicken...and tonight, cheese stuffed turkey burgers w/barbecued beans.
Your 15 y/o sounds like an adventurous eater! I love that!
That's so great that he's choosing meals. Excellent.
I'm so glad you all are enjoying the cookbook!
I did something I rarely ever do-- I planned and cooked ahead. I'm finding that if I just spend a couple hours (less than that, really) on Sunday getting my meals done, I don't eat out during the week. This is huge for me!
And since I eat a plant based diet, most of the food tastes much better after a day of sitting in the fridge!
So, I think I spent...$27 this week and probably won't have to spend much more next week!
Wow, $27 is GREAT.
$18 is for the week is impressive! I am $21 over budget for the month so far but $56 under for the year to date so I guess I'm doing OK on the grocery budget so far and my freezer is still way too full. While the kids would probably disagree, we ate pretty good this week (2 of my 3 kiddos are very picky).
Monday - Lentil and sausage soup with homemade biscuits (your recipe)
Tuesday - Tuna noodle casserole (homemade with no condensed canned soup) and salad
Wednesday - Chicken and dumplings with peaches from the freezer
Thursday - Meatballs with a cranberry/chili sauce, scalloped potatoes and green beans
Friday - Pizza
It's going to be a challenge the next few weeks for me to keep to my monthly "budget". A couple of surprises have popped up and I am determined not to use my credit card. I just got my self out of that type of debt and do not want to get back into it.
I'm hoping for a $18 week.....lol I will be making a few pots of soup and breakfast for dinner will be on the menu the next two weeks! Wish me luck 🙂
A few stock-ups last week, so this week I think the only spending will be for a dozen eggs and maybe milk. The fresh chicken I bought was on special and made three dinners for the two of us and a medium pot of soup. The other suppers were based on chili using ground beef from the freezer and the rest of stuff came from what I raised in the garden (garlic, tomatoes, dried beans, herbs). The bag of small onions I bought in the fall and stashed in the cellar is holding up well.
We're going away for 5 weeks the end of the month, so eating down the fridge and freezer will commence in earnest (and the money not spent will go into the vacation budget --we stay in condos and I've researched where the Aldi stores are everywhere we're going!).
I kept the meal planning very loose this week, because I have not been predicting hunger well, lately. We also had a low-produce week, and because it was so cold a lot of calorie-rich foods (cream! how I love thee). We ended up with:
(1) Chicken and mushrooms in dill cream sauce, with rice. I used one cooked bone-in split breast from the freezer and one Omaha steaks raw/frozen boneless skinless breast (from my mom), and made extra sauce and rice for later. I claim that the leek and mushrooms in the cream sauce count as a vegetable. 🙂
(2) Grilled cheese and a Pacific boxed soup, tomato and red pepper bisque.
(3) Makeshift shrimp viennese using the leftover cream sauce and rice, served with lightly sauteed sugar snap peas.
(4) I'd actually made a pot roast the night before so it would be available for my husband's "cooking night," and he reheated it and served it with a nice salad and some smashed potatoes with the onion gravy from roasting. I marinated the chuck roast for 2 days (oops!) in the last cup of old red wine and some herbs, then roasted it with onions and some chicken stock. Very good!
(5) Tonight I'm planning to make pasta carbonara. Maybe I'll pick up some spinach on my way home, so we can have a basic spinach-in-broth soup to go with it.
I had made a bunch of applesauce and froze it, but it separates on me when I defrost. So this weekend I'm planning to make oatmeal applesauce muffins for me, and some applesauce-yogurt mix for the dogs. Although I'm guessing I could reheat the sauce to reduce it - does anyone have experience with saving separated defrosted applesauce?
Interesting about the separated applesauce, I've never had that happen. What if you run it through a blender for awhile? I wonder if that might re-emulsify it?
The applesauce can replace an egg in your muffin recipe or most any recipe that calls for an egg. Maybe strain out some of liquid first. If all else fails throw it in a smoothie or make applesauce pork chops, yum.You may even try putting in the crock pot with a little sweetener and cinnamon to reduce it down to an apple butter.
I too didn't buy many groceries this week so that meant not as much fresh produce, also.
1. Junky cheap frozen pizzas with fresh organic roasted broccoli and sliced bananas
2. Homemade hamburgers and yogurt for dessert
3. Baked lemon pepper chicken tenders, crock pot pinto beans, fajita rice(boxed mix). I felt bad this night so it was sorta thrown together but my family loved it.
4. Heart shaped pink tinted pancakes(one of my kids will be gone this weekend)that I put some soft mashed bananas in, peach syrup made from frozen peaches(thanks Kristen for the recipe), and more banana slices on top. I also made sausage and biscuits for my husband. He doesn't like to eat pink miniature kid looking pancakes, lol.
5. tonite, still unsure
I'm pretty sure pink pancakes drain testosterone from men's bodies, so, it's good he played it safe. 😉
Totally, lol! He doesn't like to eat cupcakes either because he says they are tiny little kid cakes, which is bizarre. I think he is secretly afraid he will morph into a little girl if he eats anything cute, lol. I guess this confirms that it truly is all about the presentation.
Soooo funny! My husband had NO problem eating 5 hot pink miniature cupcakes leftover from the pre-k Valentine party for dessert tonight!!!
My hubby has no problem with the pink cupcakes but heaven forbid I serve anything with rice (either in it or as the side) or oatmeal (not even cookies!). If he had his way, dinner would pretty much rotate steak, hamburger, and chicken breast. Boring!
Shopped last Saturday and it was a medium load:) I'll pick up a half share of winter CSA produce and dairy and then I'll still plan to shop in the afternoon. I need to finalize next weeks menu first...
This week we ate:
I can't remember last Saturday...
Spaghetti with sausage and red sauce
Tacos
Homemade mac and cheese with slaw
Italian wedding soup with focaccia
Potato leek kale cheddar frittata with chicken sausage and applesauce
Tonight is homemade Sicilian style pizza and Caesar salad with homemade dressing and croutons
Mmmm risotto. Consider trying it again without the wine. The wine is really only for flavor so you can substitute more chicken broth. Or be sure you really really cook all the alcohol out. Shouldn't be too winey.
Yum!
Yup, you can always go with all stock on risotto. And add cheese if you want.
This week went well for us, as usual I plan our menu on Sun with the food Iv bought in & cook extra to make the evenings when we get home from work easier. Budget wise was on target thanx to Aldi & their amazing value, had to go to butchers & buy meat alright, which I put in freezer and use over the next month.
Mon: Thai green curry with brown rice, Greek yogurt & grapes for desert
Tues: chilli con carne with kidney beans & chickpeas with brown rice
Wed: Ash Wed here so did Salmon with broccoli & carrot & parsnips & mash potato
Thurs: Chicken kievs with mash potato, peas& carrots
Fri: beef stew with carrots, mushrooms & potatoes..
I have been meaning to try that Cook's chicken risotto recipe. I like winey foods. (But, oddly, do not especially like to drink wine.)
After throwing my meal plan out the window last week (and throwing out a lot of food as a result), I resolved to do better this week. And I did.
Sat./Sun - Tacos. Sunday night I turned the leftovers into burritos which I froze for easy work week lunches.
Mon. - OK here I stumbled a bit. I was starving when I got home so I ate a bowl of Cheerios for dinner. But at 8:30 p.m. I made a pot of broccoli soup for later in the week, so WIN!
Tues/ Wed - Broccoli soup with grilled turkey and cheese on rye.
Thurs. - Realized I forgot a couple of ingredients for my planned meal. Made waffles and bacon instead.
Fri. - Not sure yet. Possibly eggs and toast with fruit. Or broccoli soup from the freezer.
Did you get the dehydrator you once talked about buying? When produce is cheap and plentiful, I try to preserve extras by either drying or fermenting (all you need is canning jars and salt), so that there are always "emergency" veggies in the house. Dried veggies can be snacks or used in soups and stews, fermented veggies make a nice side or eaten in place of salad (almost any firm veggie and many fruits can be pickled). So even when we can't get out to get veggies, there's some options at home.
I did not! I decided I just do not have room for an appliance, as my small-ish kitchen is already pretty overcrowded.
I already have to store my crock pot, grain grinder, and electric griddle in closets outside of the kitchen, and I just don't know where I'd put the dehydrator. Oh well.
Anyone have ideas for a picky 4 1/2 year old boy? He eats: any breakfast food, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, spaghetti and fruit.
The baby (14 mos.) eats a wider variety of foods!!
M-Baked spaghetti (made from the leftover spaghetti and meatballs we had last week), salad, fruit
T-Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, string beans, pudding
W-Baked steak, baked sweet potatoes, spinach with lemon and pepper, applesauce
T-Grilled pollack, mushroom rice, peas, fruit salad
F-Once again, not a clue--maybe pizza and salad?
Does he drink smoothies? Smoothies are a great way to get fruits and veggies into small kids, and if you add raspberries or blueberries to a smoothie, you can cover all manner of green items.
My 3.5 year old likes tomato sauce and is willing to try new things in the context of tomato sauce. Black beans and pinto beans, red peppers chopped small, and mushrooms are all things that she now eats that she first had in tomato sauce over pasta. My 5 year old on the other hand will only eat things plain, and I've learned that some foods that I only like cooked in very particular ways, she will eat only plain (tofu straight out of the fridge, for example). So I offer her things raw before I cook them, or cooked plain before I add any sauce. Having two kids with widely differing tastes is difficult.
Alison- How about things he can "dip" like cheese stix or fruits with a fruit dip or breadsticks/garlic knots or steak pieces? He may be willing to try raw vegetables with a ranch dip...You get the idea.... Ask him what he would like to make (borrow a cookbook) and if he puts it together, he will probably eat it.
We are eating out of the freezer this week! I did manage to get a free box of french bread pizza and granola bars with coupons.
This week, i'll spend about $35 for milk/fruits/bread/cereal/snacks but the rest is from the freezer or what was on hand.. Here goes:
Breakfast- eggs, cereal, milk, toast, english muffins, bagels, oatmeal
Lunch- tuna sandwiches, french bread pizza, dinner leftovers
Dinner- homemade meatballs & sausage in tomato sauce, fried/stuffed/baked fish, a whole turkey ( for sandwiches, pot pies, soup), seasoned baked potatoes, onion rings, frozen veg
Snacks- fresh fruit salad, bananas, flavored pretzels, rice bars, granola bars
Just wanted to say that you don't need to put wine into your risotto. I make mine with vegetable or chicken stock, I add chicken, mushrooms, tarragon and another vegetable (I love artichoke hearts). Just as yummy and your girls will probably appreciate it more 🙂
This week between the superbowl and my 11 year old's birthday party I was afraid like in the past I would buy a lot of take out pizza or frozen convenience foods and blow the food budget. But for the superbowl I bought clearance chicken wings from Aldi and made my own buffalo wild wings and ignored the boys clamoring for pizza hut at the party and made some great little baked sandwichs on Aldi's rolls. Or course added in with homemade deserts and snacks and all of that. Both events were a big hit and I am still doing fine with my grocery money for the month so that was a a big win for me - I usually go way overboard for parties.
Thank you so much for the sour cream/hot peppers/cilantro (we left out the mayo) spread for the fish tacos. We agree that they make an absolute world of difference! Have been making variations of fish and shrimp tacos for years, but that base turns them into "professional chef"-type deliciousness! Thank you.
I know, right? It really makes the fish taco. Mr. FG and the girls leave it off and Joshua and I are all, "WHAT are you doing??" 😉