2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #4

2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week This weeks menu plan takes our low-carb to a new level! We're adding in a few recipes that use protein powder as well. This weeks grocery total came to $54.98 and we purchased the following . . .
Artisan Lettuce, Green Peppers, Cabbage, Mushrooms, white wine, Sour Cream, Whey Protein Powder, Apples, Cream cheese, milk, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, Cucumbers, bananas, greek yogurt, Cauliflower, and cheddar cheese. (we still have carrots, celery and a few handfuls of grapes left over from last week).

Breakfast Choices this week:

• Guilt Free Berry Explosion Bars (Complex carbs, 2 ww points!)
• Guilt Free Blueberry Muffins (Complex carbs, 2 ww points!)
• Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits
• Hard Boiled Eggs (great protein burst, dirt cheap, actually free since we raise chickens).
• Cottage Cheese & Berries
• Egg White Omelets (Egg whites, diced veggies, seasonings)
• Vanilla Coconut Protein Bars
• Protein Shake Smoothies (Vanilla Whey, Berries or Tablespoon of Peanut Butter, Ice)
• Cinnamon Cherry Cheeseball & Apple Slices

Monday January 21, 2013:

• Lunch: Tuna Grape Salad on Sundried Tomato Basil Wraps
• Dinner: Taco Salad

Tuesday 22nd:

• Lunch: Garden Salad or Taco Wraps (Tortilla stuffed with leftover taco meat, shredded cheese, tomatoes, jalapeno slices, etc)
• Dinner: Fishermans Stew, sourdough bread slices

Wednesday 23rd:

• Lunch: Leftover Fishermans Stew
• Dinner: Cabbage Chicken Saute

Thursday 24th:

• Lunch: Chipotle Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps
• Dinner: Montreal Grilled Steak, Steamed Broccoli, baked Potatoes- (for the kids!!)

Friday 25th:

• Lunch: Leftover Cabbage Chicken Saute
• Dinner: OUT: Jambalaya (with friends) bringing Veggie Tray (Carrots, Celery, Tomatoes, Green Peppers & Vidalia Onion Dip)

Saturday 26th:

• Lunch: Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwiches on Skinny's (Sorry folks, this is an old favorite of mine!!)
• Dinner: No Mac Cauliflower & Cheese & Salad

Sunday 27th:

• Lunch: Grilled Halibut BLT's w/ Dijon Caper Mayonnaise
• Dinner: Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

Various Snacks:

• Deviled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
• Protein Shakes & Protein Bars
• Fresh Fruit- Apples, bananas,
• Walnut Cherry Cheeseball & Apple Slices
• Popcorn
• Hummus & Carrot Sticks
• Fruit Sorbet

Drinks Available: A note about our drink offerings, while we do always have coffee and tea in the house, coffee is usually with breakfast, hot tea is usually in the evening and for the most part our other drinks consist of Water. We don't "drink milk" at all.

* Iced Tea (Unsweetened & Sweet Tea)
* Coffee
* Hot Chocolate/Cocoa
* Lemonade

A few things we'd like to share with you:

The fish mentioned in this weeks menu plan was caught personally by us. This is one of the reasons that we don't provide a "grocery list" for our menus. In order to save money, you have to learn to use what you have available to you, In this case we have both Catfish and Halibut that we caught. These items might not be available in your area and it might not be a "frugal" choice to include them on the menu. The coconut used in the protein bars was purchased several months ago (& stored in the freezer) when baking items were dirt cheap.

In addition, you may have noticed that eggs are never in our "just purchased" list, this is because we raise our own chickens and often sell the extra eggs to cover the expense of their feed which equates to Free Food for us!


In addition to the above it has come to our attention that a few folks who are just joining us are getting the wrong impression that we purchase EVERYTHING at once for each weeks menu plan.
This is not the case at all, nor do we recommend it. We are incorporating items purchased or home canned weeks ago into the menu plan this week. For example, back on week #39 we purchased over 40 pounds of meat- I promise you we didn't eat that all that week! For Further reading/help we recommend the following:

• The 2012 Family Guide to Groceries under $250 a Month- a guide of how and where to cut grocery expenses to get spending under control while providing an eye-opening view of the dirty manipulation tactics retailers use to keep you spending

• $50 Weekly Menu Plan Help across the USA- Do you find yourself struggling to reduce your grocery bill each month? Check out our Menu plan help across the USA to see if your area has been featured for more 1-on-1 help, if not, feel free to add your request to have your city/state featured.

• January Sales Trends- not sure what Should be on sale right now? Here is a list of the current Sales trends for the month of January, so you know what savings to expect

• $50 Dollar Menu Frequently Asked Questions - a few of the most often asked questions regarding our $50 menu plans
  • Basic Questions- Why we don't provide a shopping list, Random ingredients that aren't in the shopping list, are groceries cheaper , etc
  • More Questions- more in depth questions regarding dietary guidelines, dealing with picky eaters, junk food and more