My next trip to the grocery store will be on Saturday. Oh, how excited I am! Not really. Let’s get real…grocery shopping sucks! There is nothing worse than walking around a grocery store for an hour. The thought of doing it makes me want to stay home and watch CSPAN instead. That’s about how much I love grocery shopping. But, what makes grocery shopping somewhat tolerable is knowing exactly what I need. By planning my menu for the week ahead, I can run through the aisles like someone on that gameshow from the 90s called Supermarket Sweep (yes, there was a version from the 60s, but I wasn’t around for the first iteration). Does anyone else remember that show? Wow, that’s not one of the finer moments in television history. Well, neither is Saved by the Bell – the College Years, or the Arseno Hall Show. Did you know there was actually a show called Homeboys in Outerspace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeboys_in_Outer_Space)? Apparently no one else did either because it only lasted a short time. But the title made me laugh.
So the menu is done, and I’m ready to hit the store with my list in hand…all items on the list are categorized into sections that coorespond with how they are found in the store, and those categories are placed in the order of the path that I take through the store. Ok, follow me here…If I need ham, potatoes, carrots, milk, bread, and beans, the first items on my list are potatoes and carrots, because I know that the first section in the store is the produce. The next will be bread followed by ham because these items come next in my path through the store. Seriously, it makes shopping so much easier to do it this way. I don’t have to track back through the entire store because I managed to forget the onions. I guess I’m OCD (or COD if you are OCD too). When I started doing my shopping list this way, I kinda thought everyone else did too. Once again, I am surprised by some of the strange things I do.
Enough of my ramblings. Here’s the menu for the week with links as appropriate. I will be posting recipes for everything in the coming week, including those without links. I can’t post the ones without links yet because they are my own, and I don’t want YOU to make them before I do. They may not be good, and I don’t want to embarrass myself.
Chow for now!
Recipes for 9/18-9/22:
Sunday – Ham and Bean Soup w/ leftover cornbread
Monday – Tacos
Tuesday – Chicken Teriyaki with steamed rice
Wednesday – Broiled Tilapia Parmesan w/ Roasted Red Potatoes and frozen veggies. I will have to make baked chicken for the kids. They don’t prefer fish.
Thursday – French Dip Sandwiches, French Fries, canned peas
Weekly Menu and some Grocery Shopping Advice
16 Sep 2011 3 Comments
by busycookinthelou in Dinner, Menus, Slow Cooker, Soups Tags: crockpot, dinner, groceries, grocery shopping, menu, slow cooker
Planning Ahead Saves you Time and Money
08 Sep 2011 1 Comment
by busycookinthelou in Menus Tags: beef, chicken, crockpot, dinner, food, groceries, ham, menu, pasta, recipe, slow cooker, tacos
How many times have you wandered through the grocery store aimlessly picking up stuff and putting together dinner ideas as you see different items? At some point, you see that head of broccoli and think, “I’m going to make Pasta con Broccoli for dinner this week.” Then you continue your shopping, checkout and realize that you have spent $200 and you didn’t even get the pasta you needed for the Pasta con Broccoli. So you have a $200 cart full of random things that may get you by for a few days.
I have a large family that eats A LOT! I can’t afford to do the $200 shopping trip every few days, so I have to plan better. I started putting together weekly menus and then putting together my shopping list based on those menus. I also have to consider the family calendar and try to put quick meals and crockpot meals on days when I know we will have to eat and run. I put together the menu below yesterday and then went to the grocery store. I have all of the family meals planned out through next Thursday and I have all of the ingredients that I need to prepare them. My total grocery bill was around $200. I tend to NOT plan meals for Fridays and Saturdays because we usually aren’t home.
I am really not a health nut. I don’t look for only organic items or only low fat recipes. But, I know that fast food is bad for myself and my children. They deserve good, home cooked meals that are well-balanced and don’t include fried foods. I feel better serving them tacos or pizza at home because I know what’s in it. If you know me personally, you know that I have a very busy life. All 4 of my children play sports, sing in choirs, play in bands, etc., and my husband and I try to make time to workout and spend time together. This leaves very little time to think about what I’m making for dinner. If I don’t plan a menu and have all of the ingredients on hand, I am more apt to order pizza or pick up fast food.
Try planning your menu for the week and see how this works for your family. Not only is it healthier, but it’s cheaper….which the hubby REALLY likes. Feel free to steal my menu or make one of your own. Heck, I would be happy to put one together for you and also create your grocery list, just subscribe to my blog and send me a message. I can’t wait to hear how planning ahead works for you.
Thursday
Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken
Crockpot Green Beans/Potatoes/Ham
Sunday
Grilled Hamburgers
Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Frozen Veggies
Monday
Tacos – Ground Beef
Tuesday
Pulled Pork Sandwiches (crockpot)
Baked French Fries
Frozen Veggies
Wednesday
Angel Hair Chicken Pasta (crockpot)
Garlic Bread
Frozen Veggies
Thursday
Crockpot Ham
Mashed potatoes (probably the fake ones to save time)
Canned peas (only because this is the only “veggie” my youngest son will eat)
