Have been doing very well at cooking from the pantry.
Sunday - steak, baked potato, salad
Monday - taco ring, corn, beans
Tuesday - slow cooked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday (tonight - depends on when we go to doctor) - beef fajitas with rice
Friday - slow cooked Pork Carnitas, carrots, noodles
Well that has been the week and the plan at any rate. I rarely plan for weekends because I never know what is going to come up. Tomorrow morning I plan on cooking up several chicken breast. Although, if I can get a hold of the grill early enough, may just grill them. They are for cutting up and packaging so I have cooked chicken meat on hand.
Okay, so far, have spent right at $150 on groceries this paycheck. Of that, about $70 was actually food. I am planning on using the massive stockpile I have on hand and except for milk and bread and an occasional stray item, should be all I need for the month. We have one week we will be gone camping in there. Tonight, I plan to actually write out two weeks worth of menu plans and get back on track with that. Will join the internet group and post my menus on each Monday. Will also be posting how the recipes add up cost wise.
Back to the subject of the $5 Dinner Mom's Cookbook. I posted a comment about the inconsistencies in cost of items on the author's site. She wrote me an explanation explaining that when she made the various recipes some were with ingredients from sales and some were not. I do understand, but still think that it was just a bit misleading as to the cost. In my opinion she should have gone with the normal price and then if a person happens to hit a sale it is just extra savings. She also gave me a link to a comment from a fellow Californian who commented that prices were not so bad out here. I say bullcorn, they are ridiculous compared to the northern or eastern states and from what I have read on postings from fellow members of some of my internet groups it gets worse the farther west you go. However, I will say this about the $5 Dinner Mom's Cookbook. The recipes sound good and look forward to start trying them out. They look to be budget friendly and for the most part seem to fit my family's taste as well. What I would call normal foods, normal ingredients, not a lot of processed or pre-packaged stuff. One other thing that is a bit misleading is the title itself. One recipe that is under $5 does not make a $5 dinner. If you spend almost five bucks on the main dish, you still have to make a couple of side dishes and desert to go with it. Granted, a lot of the recipes are casseroles or include a pasta or rice, but really does not make a full meal. I like the book, just don't like the little details that are really wrong. I think the cost is very misleading.
Along that same subject, an interview on a talk show with a mom of 4 has been circulating the group postings lately. This woman apparently feeds her family of six for next to nothing because she uses coupons to cut the cost. She walked through a buying trip with the reporter and showed how she does it. I understand the concept of coupons, but there are some major reasons that it just doesn't work for me, and in all honesty never has. Here is why.
1. I can never get the amount of coupons she seems to. I have always looked through newspaper, mailbox, magazine ads, begged family and friends, joined groups that traded coupons, even paid a fee to subscribe to a coupon service, am big enough to admit that I have even stooped so low as to tear out a coupon or two from the magazines at the doctor's office. I know that you can download them and print them on the computer as well. The coupon queen pulled out coupons for meat, produce and milk. I have never come across those.
2. Not one store in our area doubles or triples the coupon value. Nor do they allow me to use a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon for extra savings. Not one store in my area (and by area I mean town) will accept a computer printed coupon.
3. Most of the items I buy on a regular basis are readily available in generic or store brands and the price is a lot cheaper than the brand name even after the coupon is deducted.
So, that is my thoughts on the subject.
I started this on Thursday but was sidetracked when I had to take hubby to doctor. He has some type of stomach bug that is causing severe diarrhea. They gave him IV fluids and a lot of lab work. He is still down and has no appetite, has lost almost ten pounds the last three days. Normally this wouldn't be a worry so much, except for the fact that when I almost lost him due to colon cancer a few years ago the symptoms were very similar. He told me not to go there, but it just happens. At any rate, I am forcing myself to wait until all the information is in before deciding anything. The doctor feels it is some type of infection, but needs lab work to tell if it is bacterial (antibiotics will be prescribed), viral (has to run its course), or if it is due to some type of parasite. At any rate, I felt bad when I woke this morning, but seem to be doing okay this evening. On the side of caution, I have decided to not visit mom for a couple of days. I would not want to get her sick or any of the dear oldies that live there.
Needless to say, my menu plan has changed since I started the post. Last night I fixed fish and mac & cheese for daughter and me, hubby didn't eat. I need to grill the fajita meat, but have no idea how to cook it on the grill outside so have to decided to just freeze it in the marinade until everyone is feeling better. For tonight, I have homemade chicken soup going in the slow cooker. Very easy for everyone to eat, easy to cook, and easy on the budget as I used left over chicken from Tuesday's meal. Still have no idea what I am going to make over the week end, guess it will pretty much depend on how everyone is feeling, but still working on planning next weeks meal.
Thanks for stopping in.
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