2015 $50 Weekly Budget Menu Plan Week #15

2015 $50 Budget Menu Plan Week 15: Finally have our modest little garden completely in- now we’re playing the “hurry up and wait” game. . .

This week we purchased the following: Coffee, cukes, Lettuce, Green Peppers, Chicken Legs (10lb Pkg), cheddar cheese, orange juice, fresh spinach, green peppers, asparagus, Sweet Baby Rays, bananas, cantaloupe, heavy cream

Total spent this week on groceries: $43.32

From our Backyard: Fresh Eggs (up to about 12 a day)

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

Right now we’ve got the garden in full swing, growing well. This year we’ve planted 4 different types of tomatoes, some for munching, some for canning, some for salsas, etc. As a trial, we’ve planted the cukes (cucumbers!) on the back wall of the garden so the fencing will become a natural trellis. In the past this has been avoided for fear that the deer would make short order of them, but we have our trusty homemade Deer Away spray, so we should be all set. We’re also using the weed free methodfor growing beets, lettuce, radishes and spinach. In our area we have very poor soil which is mostly sand. This type of waste soil offers the perfect growing conditions for Poison Ivy, Sumacand Cow Itch vine. With that said, I’m not interested in another painful bout of cow-itch, so all root plants or those requiring close contact with the soil will be planted in bags.

Last year we planted sweet potatoes, which did very well, but when we harvested we found “something” had eaten fist sized holes in the potatoes. We also discovered when we tilled the garden this spring that those roots are pretty darn tough and make tilling a nightmare! This year we’re “barrel planting” our potatoes and we expect a yield of around 100 pounds.

A garden for 4 people is actually relatively small, doesn’t require a lot of space and will feed your family very cheaply all year long, if you plan for it. Our garden takes an average of 4 hours to get going each year, requires NO Weeding and No Maintenance, well except for harvesting food every other day.

Breakfast Options for this week:

• Fresh Fruit
• Country Breakfast Casserole(Few alterations to the recipe- I make my own sausage& use my own shredded hash browns, rather than buying them).
• Eggs-poached, over-easy, hard boiled, scrambled with leftover sauteed veggies & a sprinkle of cheese, etc
• Cinnamon Peach Muffins (same recipe as mango muffins, just use home-canned peaches instead of mango)
• Fruit Salad (cantaloupe, bananas, homecanned peaches)
  
• Fruit/Berry Yogurt Parfaits

Lunch Options for this week:

• Leftovers
• Chipotle Pulled Pork Sandwiches
• PB & Dill Pickles or PB & J or PB & Homemade Fluff
• Cucumber Sandwiches
• 18 way Egg saladsandwiches or wraps

To be honest, Pork really wasnt on the menu plan for the week, but be darned if something didn’t shift in the freezer causing the door to be open a crack and thereby thawing a 14lb chunk of Pork Butt. So.. you’ll see it often in this weeks plan.

Monday April 13th:

• Dinner: Pressure Cooker Pork Roast, Smashed Potatoes, Salad

TuesdayApril 14th:

• Dinner: Mexican Fiesta No Bake Skillet(if you’re avoiding simple carbs, use Quinoa in place of the rice)

Wednesday April 15th:

• Dinner: Holy Mole Pulled Pork Enchiladas, Salad

Thursday April 16th:

• Dinner: Monterey Chicken, Salad, Baked Potato

Friday April 17th:

• Dinner: Roast Pork Pot Pie

Saturday April 18th:

• Dinner: Dinner at my sons College (Special Event)

Sunday April 19th

• Dinner: Puerto Rican Bacon Rice, salad

Various Snacks & Desserts:

• Fresh Fruit Choices Available– Bananas, Cantaloupe, Canned Peaches, Frozen Strawberries/Blueberries
• French Onion Dip & Chips/ Carrot Sticks
• Homemade Peanut Butter Granola Bars
  
• English Muffin Bread Toast
• Microwave Popcorn

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: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!