2015 $50 Budget Menu Plan Week 7

2015 $50 Budget Menu Plan Week 7: Strawberries are coming into peak in our area! Part of learning how to save cash on groceries is learning when to take advantage of sales..
This week we grabbed a couple flats of strawberries at the local farmers market for only $7 a FLAT!! That’s dirt cheap my friends. These delicious berries will be vacuum sealed and frozen to enjoy throughout the summer and fall when they’re more expensive and less abundant.

This week we purchased the following: Strawberries, lettuce, pineapple, greek yogurt, dried chickpeas, fresh spinach, canned tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, green beans (marked down to .79!), deli ham, fresh tomatoes, Parmesan Cheese, cream cheese, apples, avocado

Total spent this week on groceries: $57.13

From our Backyard: Fresh Eggs (up to about 9 a day)

From our Windowsill/ Garden: a few fresh herbs in the windowsill– cilantro, basil, parsley and rosemary, mint

Breakfast Options for this week:

• Fresh Fruit- Apples, Strawberries, Pineapple
• Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
• Espresso Muesli
• Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
• Pineapple Mint Jalapeno Smoothie
• Eggs-poached, over-easy, hard boiled, scrambled with leftover sauteed veggies & a sprinkle of cheese, etc
• Southwestern Eggs Benedict (this uses leftover cornbread)
• Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Quesadillas

Lunch Options for this week:

• Hummus Wraps
• Chef Salad
• Leftovers Stir Fry (in wrap), leftover Stew,
• Avocado Dijon Pasta Salad

Monday February 16th:

• Dinner: Szechuan Stir Fry over Asian Garlic Ginger Noodles (homemade!)

Tuesday February 17th:

• Dinner: SouthEastern Chicken Stew, Cornbread

Wednesday February 18th:

• Dinner: Grilled Chipotle Chicken Sandwiches, macaroni salad

Thursday February 19th:

• Dinner: Broccoli Garlic Penne

Friday February 20th:

• Dinner: Hearty Meatball Spinach Stew, Italian Garlic Bread

Saturday February 21st:

• Dinner: Grilled Pork Chops, Crispy Sweet potato fries, pear butter,salad

Sunday February 22nd

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

Various Snacks & Desserts:

• Fresh Fruit Choices Available– Pineapple, Strawberries, Home Canned Peaches, Frozen Blueberries (from last summer)
• Fruit-n-Yogurt Parfaits
• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Strawberry Cheesecake Dip

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

Less Likely to be used, but still available:
* Copycat Gatorade
* CopyCat Arizona Green Tea
* Lemonade
* Iced Coffee Drinks
* Almond Milk

FYI:The sweet potatoes mentioned in this weeks menu plan were from our modest garden last year. As long as you store them in a cool dark place, they’ll last months and months without issue. The only real trouble we had in growing them was the MOLES that chewed through many of them without us realizing it. This year, we’re growing our sweet potatoes in a Barrel, rather than in the garden.

If you’re wondering why all the ingredients listed in the recipes aren’t necessarily showing in the “purchased groceries” list, please check out our Frequently Asked Questions!