2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week #39

2013 $50 Weekly Menu Plan Week#39: This weeks grocery total came to only $32.16 – the remaining balance of our $50 budget will be rolled over into next week. The focus for this weeks menu plan is fresh fall fruits and veggies and all the flavors of fall! Here’s how it all comes together . . .

This week we’ve got fruit up the ying-yang (as grandma would say!)! A friend called us the other day to let us know that her pear tree was at it’s peak and she was sick and tired of cleaning pears off her lawn. She told me that she’d be thrilled if I’d come and pick them, but the only stipulation was that we had to take them ALL. Several bushels later, I’ve got to admit, I’m sick to death of pears! I’ve made Pear Sauce, Pear Butter, Spiced Pear Butter, Pear Galette, Pear Pie filling, Applesauce, apple fritters, apple pie filling, apple crisp, apple butter, sweet apple cider butter and caramelized pears.
The same friend with the abundant pear tree also gave us a few fresh eggplants from her garden. We were more than happy to give them several dozen eggs for their generosity!

From the Store & Farmers Market: Almond Milk, pumpkin, 3 lbs of beef marked down, 1/2 gal milk, cantaloupe, bananas, artisan lettuce, celery, cucumber, fresh broccoli, spinach

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

Breakfast Options for this week:

• Fruit Salad- cantaloupe, bananas, apples, pears
• Pumpkin Spice Raisin Scones
  
• Cinnamon Apple Pecan Muesli
• Apple Cider Donuts
• Chocolate Pecan Granola
• Southern Comfort Grits
• Cinnamon Apple Raisin Oatmeal
• Bagels & Cream Cheese
• Apple Fritters
• Scrambled or poached eggs, toast
• Hard Cooked Eggs

MondaySeptember 23rd:

• Lunch: Sun Dried Tomato Egg Salad Wraps
• Dinner:Chipotle Turkey Burgers, salad

TuesdaySeptember 24th:

• Lunch: Chicken Salad Wraps
• Dinner:Crockpot Beef & Broccoli over Jasmine Rice

WednesdaySeptember 25th:

• Lunch: Leftover Beef & Broccoli in Wraps
  
• Dinner: Sausage & Eggplant Stuffed Manicotti with Creamy Tomato Basil Sauce, Garlic Bread

ThursdaySeptember 26th:

• Lunch: Leftover Manicotti
• Dinner: Salisbury Steak & Gravy, Baked potatoes, salad

FridaySeptember 27th:

• Lunch: Veggie Frittata
• Dinner:Tuscan Chicken, Cornbread

SaturdaySeptember 28th: Get together with Friends, these usually take place in early afternoon and run into the very late evening, early morn

• Midday: Potluck style get together, bringing Apple cider stew, Biscuits

SundaySeptember 29th:

• Lunch: leftovers from yesterdays potluck
• Dinner:Savory Pumpkin Quesadillas

Various Snacks & Desserts:

• Fresh Fruit Choices Available– Apples, Pears, Cantaloupe, Bananas
• Apple Crisp
• Homemade Chocolates
• Cinnamon Apple Cherry Cheeseball& Apple slices
• Honey Crunch Granola Bars
• Potato Chips & Vidalia Onion Dip

• Football Whoopie Pies

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:One of the most frequently asked questions that we receive from guests and newbies to the site is why are there items on the menu that haven’t been “purchased”. There are meats or fruits, etc that are listed in the menu itself but not in the “items purchased this week”. That’s because not everything is purchased all at once, if it was, we’d be spending thousands of dollars on groceries instead of around $250 per month! For complete details on how it all works we recommend you read past menu plans (there are nearly 3 full years of them here on the site!) to get an idea of how meats, fish, seafood and seasonal fruits and veggies are purchased and stored/prepared for later enjoyment!

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