2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #37

2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week#37: School has been back in session in full swing for over a month here and it’s funny how quickly we had forgotten about those moments when the kids burst through the doors, ravenous and ready to eat anything in sight! With that in mind, we’re offering up a few additional “semi-meals” this week. This weeks meal plan came to a whopping $39.84 without coupons, of course, and this is what we purchased. . .

From the Store & Farmers Market: Artisan Lettuce, celery, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, several cantaloupe, strawberries, bananas, mangoes (*on sale for .49 each), red grapes, plums, nectarines, broccoli, non-fat vanilla yogurt, cream cheese, almond milk, peanut butter, oatmeal, salt, feta cheese, pickled banana pepper rings, tuna, spinach, dried beans, molasses.

From the Garden: tomatoes, jalapenos, okra, carrots
From our Backyard: Fresh Figs

Breakfast Options for this week: The breakfast options are becoming snack options as well, because this time of year the kids often grab things like muffins, scones, fruit salad, and the various flavors of refrigerator oatmeal for quick snacks at any hour of the day. Our youngest is going through a “smoothie” phase and he’s suddenly scarfing fruit up like there’s no tomorrow. I have a feeling it’s more due to the coaches pushing heavier weights in preparation for the upcoming tournaments, but in any case, we’re seeing the dent in the grocery budget as a direct result.

• Guilt Free Cinnamon Mango Muffins
• Fruit Salad- cantaloupe, nectarines, bananas, mangoes
• Mango Almond Refrigerator Oatmeal
• Bagels & Cream Cheese
• Cinnamon Raisin Bread Toast w/ homemade strawberry fig jam
• Espresso Refrigerator Oatmeal
• Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits w/ chocolate granola
• Scrambled or poached eggs, toast
• Hard Cooked Eggs
• Walkaway Breakfast Burritos on Homemade bacon tortillas (Cheese, eggs, diced onions/green peppers/ bacon/ diced tomatoes, etc)
• Cantaloupe Frenzy Smoothies

We’re celebrating a couple birthdays this week too, so there is dinner out as an option because no one would tell me what they wanted for their birthday dinner!

MondaySeptember 9th:

• Lunch: Tuna Salad on Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps
• Dinner:New England Chop Suey, fresh homemade garlic parmesan swirl biscuits

TuesdaySeptember 10th:

• Lunch: Herbed egg salad on Homemade Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps
• Dinner:Meatloaf, Salad, Baked Potatoes

WednesdaySeptember 11th:

• Lunch: Meatloaf sandwiches
• Dinner:BDAY Celebration- Copycat Chili’s Chipotle Chicken, Steamed Broccoli w/ garlic sauce, Baked Potato & Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

ThursdaySeptember 12th:

• Lunch:Chipotle Chicken Wraps using leftovers from previous night
• Dinner: Grilled Pork Chops, baked bloomin’ onions, salad

FridaySeptember 13th:

• Lunch: PB&J with a piece of fruit or Honey Dijon Egg Salad Wraps
• Dinner:Real Boston Baked Beans, Grilled Brats, Biscuits , Salad

SaturdaySeptember 14th:

• Lunch: Leftover Beans & Brats
• Dinner:Chicken Vegetable Stew, Cornbread

SundaySeptember 15th:

• Lunch: Leftover stew
• Dinner:“Restaurant Night” – this isn’t actually eating out, instead we use the individual portion size meals that have been vacuum
  sealed and frozen. See the ebook for details

Various Snacks & Desserts:

• Fresh Fruit– Bananas, Apples (leftover), Musk Mellon, Honeydew Melon, Home-Canned Peaches
• Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
• Fiesta Salsa & Homemade tortilla Chips
  
• Angel Food Cake
• Honey Crunch Granola Bars
• Chocolate Cherry Peanut Butteron Graham Crackers

Drinks Available:* Iced Tea (Unsweetened or Sweet Tea)
* Coffee
* Hot Chocolate/Cocoa
* Iced Coffee Drinks
* Almond Milk
* Lemonade

Less Likely to be used, but still available:
* Copycat Gatorade
* CopyCat Arizona Green Tea

FYI: If you’re just joining us you’ve probably noticed that eggs were not listed in this weeks “purchased Items list”. This is because we raise our own hens for fresh eggs. We often go through 3-8 dozen eggs per week with the boys weightlifting and our hens produce 2-3 dozen per day on average. The remaining eggs we give away, sell or trade for other items.

For Further reading/help we recommend the following:

• September Sales Trends-not sure what Should be on sale right now? Here is a list of the current Sales trends throughout the month of September, so you know what savings to expect and look forward to.

• 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.

• 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.

• How Spending $25 Now can save you Hundreds Later – if you gain nothing else from this site, don’t overlook this tip. It has been an EXTREME money-saver for our family.

• $50 Dollar Menu Frequently Asked Questions– There are certain questions that seem to pop up again and again, so rather than be redundant and repeat answers, we’ve put them all in one convenient place for you!

  • 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