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A peek at our weekly grocery shopping
Each week I plan on sharing a picture of our cart at each store along with a breakdown on what we bought and what we paid. Thankfully we have zero dietary restrictions or allergies which helps us keep our budget on the low side. We try to stick between $80-90 each week for our family of seven. A lot of times what is on the menu doesn’t directly correlate to what we buy because I like to plan our meals from what we have on hand currently and use our budget to stock up on good buys plus produce and dairy products.
Two weeks in a row at Aldi- what? Micah and I decided that healthier choices needed to be a priority this year so we are trying to cut the amount of carbs we are eating and adding more veggies to each meal. The kids aren’t huge fans of this change but they are slowly, very slowly, coming around. We are still feeding them some of their favorites like pancakes and quick breads with their eggs but we are skipping and eating more loaded omelettes. Baby steps 😉
And can I just say how much I love Aldi, again? I had budgeted $65 to spend at Aldi this week and even knowing the prices for nearly everyting we were still significantly under that budget – woohoo! I used the extra at Costco to stock up on a few items for next week’s menu. I think we are going to try to do an Aldi run every other week now that we are really seeing the impact it has on our grocery budget.
Also, I’m really pumped about the new Meal Planning Facebook group I started. It’s small right now but I think it’s going to be a fabulous place to share ideas, strategies, and problem solve with each other about feeding our families meals that are good for us and aren’t incredibly repetitive. If you want help with menu planning or have great ideas you want to share come check it out here 😀 Just a reminder – Meal Plan 100 will be the last menu plan featured on the blog! After week 100 all menu plans will now be shared in the private group.
Aldi
Eggs 6 @ 0.48 = $2.88
Yogurt 2 @ 1.49 = $2.98
Half & Half $1.99
Milk $2.09
Creamer $1.89
Corn Starch 2 @ 0.89 = $1.78
Tortillas 2 @ 0.99 = $1.98
Carrots 3 @ 1.19 = $3.57
Peppers $1.69
Crackers $1.29
Crackers 2 @ 1.69 = $3.38
Mac n Cheese 3 @ 0.33 = $0.99
Pineapple 2 @ 0.95 = $1.90
Apples 2 @ 1.69 = $3.38
Flour 2 @ 1.19 = $3.57
Oranges $2.49
Broccoli $1.59
Spinach $1.29
Lettuce $1.29
Mushrooms $1.59
Honey $4.99
Sweet Potatoes 2.33lb @ 0.89/lb = $2.07
Total: $49.48
Costco
Pizza Cheese $10.49
Tortilla Chips $3.79
Tomato Sauce $2.99
Canned Tomatoes $2.99
Sour Cream $3.95
Total: $24.21
Grocery Total: $73.69
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Menu Plan
I love menu planning and seeing other’s dinner plans! I’m weird like that 😉 As I’ve shared before, being in the kitchen is my happy place so I love finding meals that are new but I also never forget our favorites! These will link to the author’s original recipe unless it’s my own recipe/creation that I don’t have a link for… yet.
If you need some inspiration for how to create menu plans you can read here where I go into detail about how I make a plan for our food week and here to read how I create our grocery list.
I don’t make specific plans for breakfast and lunch but these are the basics I rotate between while throwing in a few other things for special days or weeks when I have the right ingredients.
Breakfasts: Pancakes, Coffee Cake, Egg Sandwiches, Sausage Balls, Eggs (various ways), English Muffins, Banana Bread, Biscuits and Gravy, Oatmeal, and various types of muffins.
Lunches: Leftovers, PB&J, Meat and Cheese Wraps, Cheese Quesadillas, and Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Dinners, however, are always planned for since they tend to take the most ingredients and prep time.
Here’s what’s on our menu this week:
Sunday: Tater Tot Taco Bake
Monday: Pizza Twists & Side Salads
Tuesday: Bean & Cheese Enchiladas
Wednesday: Honey Mustard Chicken Casserole & Steamed Broccoli
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pizza and Movie Night – pizza crust recipe here and pizza sauce recipe here.
Saturday: Creamy Tomato & Spinach Penne
What’s on your menu this week?
Do you want to get your kids in the kitchen with you? Check out Kidstir! They offer a monthly subscription box with kid friendly recipes and tools so you and your child can work side by side in the kitchen creating healthy meals and fun memories. You can watch my unboxing video of our first kit here.
