Pantry Challenge Week 3

My little grocery shopping helpers.

So Wednesday is grocery shopping day and so far this month I've only gone shopping once a week, lots of store but all done in one day.  The hubby did stop a couple of time but let me tell you getting it done in one day make for a smoother week.  And staying out of the store means you can't spend money:-) 

First Stop ~The Discount Food Store

Fruit twist - 4

Yogurts- 6

70% Organic Chocolate- hey no judging:-)- 12 bars

Second Stop~ Aldi

Cucumbers- 6

Bananas - 2

Green Onions -1

Cauliflower -1

Seltzer Water- 2

Heatlh Store and Dollar Store

Health Store and Dollar Store~

2 dozen eggs

2 loaves of bread

dish washer detergent

Meijer~

more grapefruit

potatoes

cantaloupe

grapes

3# of deli ham

cilantro

ice cream

pasta sauce

ketchup

apple sauce cups - only 67 cents a package

tomatoes

cake mix ~ for my child obsessed with the show Cake Boss:-) 

Some of this we don't "need" but I don't want to have to pay full price before the next sale so I grabbed a few. 

I believe the total for this week was $98.  More than I would have like but way better than what I normally spend.  So around $305 for the month so far.  I'm thrilled with that number, my kids are hallow and they never stop eating so we go through mad crazy food. 

Only one more week to go!  Go see how everyone else is doing. 

Eating Well.

Well I haven't had to be rather creative with this challenge as our freezers are stocked but some imagination has made in a little more fun. 

Saturday lunch I stared in the fridge.  I could just feed them a sandwich but there wouldn't be enough bread for salmon melts on Sunday.  So what to feed the wolves that frequent my kitchen. 

Hot Dog "mummies"!  They went over fabulously with the kids. 

I had hot dog buns thawed from a get together we had this fall but the hubby was not impressed with me thinking about feeding them to the kids and honestly either was I.  In the trash they went. 

Racky is not a fan of plain hot dogs and how can you blame the kid- hot dogs are pretty low on the food chain.  So what is a mom to do. 

Well I made a half batch of biscuits and flattened in as thin as I could.  I then cut it into thin strips and wrapped it around the hot dogs.  I baked a touch longer than the biscuit recipe call for to ensure the hot dog was fully heated.  Served with a little ketchup.  Easy- peasy and they think I rock! 

Also I've made pancakes twice this month- I hate to make pancakes, all that flipping and they take for ever to fill the kids up.  But they are cheap and filling, after they eat 5 or 6, and they love them.  We top them with homemade powdered sugar, strawberry jam or maple syrup.  Bear and mickey mouse heads go over well too.  Same boring food but kid friendly. 

Tomorrow the plan is to make breakfast boats- half baked potatoes filled with breakfast sausage and maybe a veggie snuck in there.  Come on breakfast boats sound better to a kid than twice baked potatoes with sausage. 

Week 2 of the Pantry Challenge

Aldi run week 2

So this week was much better than last week spending wise.  And you know what, we didn't starve.  Here is my run to Aldi.  While I rarely go to Aldi they had a great deal on clementines and we go through those things like water around here.  Here's what we bought.

#10 lbs potatoes
4 bags of bags clementines
2 frozen veggies
2 bananas
2 blueberries
lettuce and tomatoes
Total of $19.78

Discount Food Store, sorry I can't find the picture.
3 Amy's organic frozen pizza at $2.49 a piece I couldn't pass them by, the kids ate 2 of them while the hubs and I went on a date:-). 
5 YoBaby organic yogurt 4 packs $1 each
2 LeCreme 4 packs of yogurt.  $1 each
I don't normally buy single serve yogurts for one they are expensive and another ever try to find a full fat yogurt in single serves.  Well these all were FULL fat- yumm-o! 
Total of $14.97

World Market
Rice Paper Wrappers for the hubs. 
$2.49

The hubby stopped at the health store again for me- 2 loaves of bread $7.40. 

And that is all she wrote for the spending this week.  $44.64 for this week.  Total for two weeks is $206.50.  Not so bad.  The 400 to 500 buck total in obtainable. 

I did end up finally canning last weeks grapefruits. 20 pint jars now line our shelves.  I used 3 bags plus a couple extra grapefruits, the rest were devoured, so the total cost about a buck a jar with lids. 

Jars waiting to be put away after being washed. 

I do have to shop again this week.  We are out of eggs, cereal- which only matters to one kid, and veggies. Also we are going to a dinner party on Friday and I need to make a fruit salad of that, can you say expensive.  Oh well it will be fun. 

Stop my Good(cheap)Eats to see how everyone else in doing. 

Week 1 - What I Bought

$161.86- gulp!

Health Store $25 The large mayo was almost $10- ouch!

. 

Benna, Benna look at mommy!  Smile!  Whatever- Meijer $45.35

Hey mom, I'm busy here!

Costco- $80.01 saving of 35% if I did the math correctly:-)

Again to Meijer to get the tomatoes because they were out on the first try.  And the discount food store for the yogurts.  $11.50.

Highlights-

The grapefruits were on sale, stinkers made the bags smaller this year.  Last year it was 18 lbs for $4.99 now the bag is only 15 lbs for the same $4.99. 

The chickens are $1.74 a pound when purchased by the case at Costco.  It's pretty much like 8 bucks a bird instead of 11. 

The cherry tomatoes were 45 cents after coupons.  The ice cream is for Lula's birthday this week.  Strawberries were because I brought a little person with me:-)

Head here to see how everyone else is doing. 

Pantry Challenge Begins

So it's here, challenge time.  I really should have no problem staying under $500 as I mentioned earlier.  If I meet that goal I hope to buy some tattler reusable canning lids with the savings. 

Our "food room", (our walk in pantry in our basement), as we call it is stuffed.  Both freezers are packed and right now the fridge is full. 

Here is what we are hoping to eat this week.   

Monday: burgers

Tuesday:  breakfast sausage over baked potatoes and veggie

Wednesday:  ground turkey- veggie meatloaf and mashed potatoes

Thursday:  taco soup and guacamole and corn chips

Friday:    baked chicken and rice

Saturday:  chicken enchilada dip with chips or tortillas from leftover chicken

Sunday:  Lunch- Salmon melts on toast or tomato slices.  Dinner- chicken sausages and whatever is left in the fridge. 

A little shopping will happen this week.  The hubby is hoping to eliminate a few foods that can cause bloating, onions, garlic, etc.  He already knows that gluten and corn are no good for him but there still is something bothering his stomach. 

Also grapefruits are $4.99 for 18 lbs. this week and I want to can some of those.  Hopefully I can hold it together and not spend too much:-) 

Pantry Challenge

Grocery Challenge time again.  I know I've tried time and time again but it's better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. 

Well Jessica at Good Cheap Eats, a blog that I just found- how have I missed it, is making it official. January is the month.   

The rules:  make up your own rules. 

Well my rules will be to try and shot for $500 a month WITHOUT depleting our food supply.  I know $500 sound like a lot and it is but we are feeding a family of 7 and a half:-)  The hubby tries not to eat things out of a box and is pretty much grain free.  And well I'm kind of a food snob.  So anything less would be extremely difficult and would cut into our pantry. 

I also want to freeze a handful of meals for when I just don't want to cook or I'm sick or something.  I could of used a few of those earlier this month. 

Also, can applesauce which I never did this fall.  After I finished those pears and the first trimester was upon me I just didn't do it.  The peoples love them some applesauce around here:-)

I don't want to deplete our food supply just clean it up and use anything that needs to be used. 

Here are the things I can think of off the top of my head that need to be used up.  

Frozen asparagus- why did I freeze #50 when I'm really the only one who eats the stuff with out force.
A case of "healthy" sun chips that no one is really digging.  Keep bringing them out until they are gone.
Butter I canned two years ago, use it and replace it. 
Try the cherry pie filling I canned this summer but have yet to use.

Well anybody else up for the challenge?  Should be fun!  See you in the kitchen. 

Kalahari 2011

The last few years we have been able to take advantage of Kalahari's BOGO free night.  Well this year we took full advantage and stayed 4 nights!  Fun for all.   We were upgraded to a stellar suite instead of our one room we were planning on.  Can you say full size kitchen and two separated bedrooms- yeah!  Thanks to Tara and Josh, who came too, for getting us upgraded, I guess it never hurts to ask.

(I just looked it up, for the room we had for four nights with the number of wrist bands for our family would need would normally cost $1519.00- ouch!!!) 
                                    
 Love these guys. 

 Lettie LOVED the wave pool, she spent a huge amount of her time in there. 

 My boys.  I know they're fat, must be all that butter:-)

 These two were inseparable. 

 Benna soaking it all in. 

I did a whole lot of this, it was great.