2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #10

2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #10: March has finally arrived and the prices of fruits and veggies has finally dropped a bit, particularly at the local farmers markets, after a little bit of gentle haggling we finally ended up with . . .
Carrots, mangoes (.40 each!), avocados (4/$1!), Bananas, Apples, 2 pineapple, Lettuce, tomatoes, fresh spinach, a flat of strawberries, spring peppers, cabbage, cucumbers and fresh broccoli. We also grabbed a few basics at Aldi which include Milk, Cottage Cheese, Romano Cheese, and at Piggly Wiggly- some ribs that were marked down to nearly nothing! Total spent $48.67

Breakfast Choices this week: You might have noticed that we don’t plan a specific breakfast for a specific day- this is because our kids are teens, they’re not little anymore and the aren’t interested in having their entire diet planned out for them. So, instead, here are a list of various choices of foods available to them all week long to choose from:

• Low Fat Pumpkin Banana Bread – this one has become a family favorite & is requested the minute it’s gone!
• Morning Glory Banana Nut Muffins
• Hard Boiled Eggs (great protein burst, dirt cheap, actually free since we raise chickens)
• Cinnamon Mango Muffins
• Homemade Bagels–Blueberry, Cinnamon Raisin or Onion
  
• Egg White Omelets (Egg whites, diced veggies, seasonings)
• Eggs- Poached, scrambled, fried, etc
• Cinnamon Raisin Toast (as french toast, or just toasted)
• Peaches and Cream Oatmeal

MondayMarch 3rd, 2013:

• Lunch: Tuna Salad Sandwich
  
• Dinner:Sesame Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Steamed Broccoli

Tuesday 25th

• Lunch:sesame chicken wraps
• Dinner:Boston Baked Beans, cornbread, Leftover Cole Slaw

Wednesday 4th:

• Lunch: Apple Cabbage Toss & Leftover Baked Beans
• Dinner:Enchiladas, Spanish rice, salad (leftovers to be frozen for quick lunch/dinner option)

Thursday 6th:

• Lunch: Spring Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Dinner: Grilled Pork Chops (with whatever seasoning mix hubby decides to throw on it!) Garlic Romano Sweet Potato Fries, Salad

Friday February 7th:

• Lunch: Dijon egg Salad wraps & Leftover baked Beans
• Dinner:Spinach Stuffed Shells, Garlic-Parmesan Biscuits, Side Salad

Saturday March 8th:

• Lunch: Grilled Burgers & Broccoli Slaw
• Dinner: Copycat Applebees Baby Back ribs, Seasoned Grilled Potato Wedges, Sweet Peas

Sunday 9th:

• Lunch: Spicy Ramen & Peanut butter Sandwich
• Dinner:Leftover Night- Restaurant Night

Various Snacks:

• Fresh Fruit– Apples, Bananas, Mangoes, Pineapples, strawberries & Cinnamon walnut cherry Cheeseball
• Avocado
• Copycat Nature Valley Granola Bars
• Homemade Microwave Popcorn
• Fiery Deviled Eggs, Hard Boiled Eggs
• GF Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
• Strawberry eclair Cake

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, various flavors)
* Coffee
* Hot Chocolate/Cocoa
* Lemonade
* Homemade Gatorade

A few things we’d like to share with you:
Not everyone in the house is dining on the full-fat/carb version of the meals. The kids, of course, with their wonderful high energy metabolisms are getting the recipes full fat/carbs/etc with no modifications (unless they choose). I, however, am opting to modify certain recipes just a bit, for example, the Sesame Chicken- I’m grilling my piece of chicken and adding just a bit of the sesame sauce for a lower calorie version. The peaches mentioned in this weeks menu plan were home-canned last summer when they were in Season.

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

• $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.

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

• Making Fruits & Veggies Last: At the beginning of each week we prepare the vegetables and fruits to make meal preparation easier during the week and to save money by preventing waste. You can read more about that here.

• $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