2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #8

2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #8:Spring has Sprung in our neck of the woods and this majority of this weeks bounty comes directly from our local Farmer’s Market! Total spent this week, $44.14 which includes . . .

A giant Honeydew melon, cantaloupe, strawberries, avocadoes (3/$1!!), green peppers, sweet onions, lettuce, carrots, sweet potatoes,kale, yukon gold potatoes, grapefruit, apples, bananas, bell peppers, asparagus, cucumbers (3/$1!) tomatoes, mangoes and a few things from the store (milk, oats, rice, cottage cheese, cream).

This weeks grocery list is a prime example of why we don’t provide receipts every week. When you go to a farmers market you haggle with the vendors to get the best prices and there’s a ton of people all around you clamoring for their turn, it’s just not feasible to stop and beg each vendor for a receipt, particularly with the vendors that speak broken English. In one of our deals the vendor had avocados 3/$1- but I noticed that he had several very Very ripe avocados that needed to be eaten right away, I offered him $1.50 for 8 and he accepted happily. We’ll mash them all up, add a teaspoon of citric acid or lemon juice to prevent browning and freeze them in vacuum seal bags for guacamole.

Breakfast Choices this week: If you’re new to the site, please note that this is a sampling of what’s available for breakfast.

• Broiled Grapefruits with a dash of cinnamon
• Strawberry Melon Salad
• GL Strawberry Shortcake Muffins
• French Toast
• Egg White Omelets (Egg whites, diced veggies, seasonings)
• Harvest Jam Breakfast Bars
• Hard Boiled Eggs (great protein
  burst, dirt cheap, actually free since we raise chickens)

• Low Fat Pumpkin Banana Bread
• Peaches and Cream Oatmeal (using home-canned peaches)

MondayFebruary 18th, 2013:

• Lunch: Refreshing Banana Melon Salad
• Dinner:Chicken Cordon Bleu, Asparagus Spears, Baked potato Wedges

Tuesday 19th

• Lunch: Salad with cut up leftover chicken chunks & chopped hard boiled eggs
• Dinner:Copycat Zuppa Toscana, Garlic Bread, Salad

Wednesday 20th:

• Lunch: Leftover Zuppa Toscana
• Dinner: Grilled Pork Chops, Pickled Beets, Salad, Savory Sweet Potato fries

Thursday 21st:

• Lunch: Tropical Egg Salad wraps
• Dinner:Chicken Marsala, Salad, Brown Rice

Friday February 22nd:

• Lunch: PB& J or Grilled Cheese or salad
• Dinner:Grilled Halibut with Avocado Mango Salsa, smashed yukon golds
  

Saturday 23rd:kids are gone today, 1 is working, the other is at a friends

• Lunch:Cottage cheese with berries
• Dinner: Tortilla Soup w/ Black Beans & Corn Bread

Sunday 24th

• Midday Meal: Big Daytona 500 Potluck Party with Friends! Making Taco Joe& Race Day Sammies

Various Snacks:

• Fresh Fruit- Apples, Bananas, Grapefruit, mango slices
• Fiery Deviled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
• Protein Shakes & Protein Bars
• Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars
• Carolina Firecrackers
• Angel Food Cake & Berries

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:

Check your local farmers markets for deals on fruits and veggies, particularly on those that need to be eaten right away as these are often half price or less.

FYI Section:
It has been brought 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

• How to Make your Fruits and Vegetables last a full week and then some, You can read more about that here.

• $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.

• February 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

© Can Stock Photo Inc. / SergeyAK