2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #5

2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #5: This weeks menu plan is all about convenience. Between work schedules, sports and events, it’s important to us to have meals that are fast, easy and healthy. This weeks grocery total came to $43.74 and we purchased the following . . .

Artisan Lettuce, Cabbage, Mushrooms, Sour Cream, Apples, Cream cheese, milk, strawberries, blueberries, Mango, Cucumbers, bananas, greek yogurt, Cauliflower, cheese, carrots, avocado, tomatoes, bell peppers, shrimp (on sale again this week!), deli ham, provolone cheese, oranges

Breakfast Choices this week: Sometimes the kids mix and match, they’ll grab a mango muffin and a couple hard boiled eggs as they head out the door, it’s all a matter of personal preference to them and this is basically a list of what’s available this week to choose from:

• Cinnamon Mango Muffins
• Bagels & Cream Cheese (Bagels are easy to make and freeze great!)
• Blueberry Ginger Smoothies
• 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

MondayJanuary 28, 2013:

• Lunch: leftover Tortilla Soup (from yesterday!)
• Dinner:Grilled Chicken Stir Fry

Tuesday 29th

• Lunch: Leftover Stir Fry in Wraps
• Dinner:Broccoli Cauliflower Au Gratin (may add grilled chicken if the kids balk at a meatless night)

Wednesday 30th:

• Lunch: Tuna Salad (Literally tuna salad on a bed of shredded lettuce and veggies, sprinkled with a bit of cheese and drizzled with Italian Dressing)
• Dinner: Italian Shred & Toasted Garlic Bread

Thursday 31st:

• Lunch: Tropical Egg Salad
• Dinner:Campfire Pig Greens

Friday February 1st:

• Lunch: Garden Salad or Taco Wraps (Tortilla stuffed with taco meat, shredded cheese, tomatoes, jalapeno slices, avocado etc) See the photo above!
• Dinner:Shrimp Stir Fry

Saturday 2nd:

• Lunch: Leftover Shrimp Stir Fry wraps
• Dinner:Grilled Pork Chops, Homemade Applesauce (made in season/frozen), salad

Sunday 3rd: Superbowl Sunday- Superbowl Party

• Midday:(Potluck) Get together with Friends for a Superbowl Bash, we’re bringing Copycat Hooters Wings & Football Whoopie Pies (our get togethers generally last all afternoon and well into the evening hours.

Various Snacks:

• Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl Brownies
• Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars
• Deviled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
• Protein Shakes & Protein Bars
• Fresh Fruit- Apples, bananas, oranges
• Walnut Cherry Cheeseball & Apple Slices
• 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:

A few notes about items mentioned in our menu this week- the applesauce is homemade and frozen in meal-size batches in the freezer so we always have fresh applesauce to accompany pork dishes, if desired. The bacon was also purchased a few months ago when it was on sale, and then frozen.

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