Dinner 2/28

 It's going to be homemade french fries, baked hamburgers, steamed veggies (I'm going to have left over chicken, instead of the hamburger). It's going to use a pound of hamburger, bread crumbs, egg, and spices. 

running grocery list

Looking at the pantry, all the fruit I bought on Thursday is gone, I have a running list of groceries (shampoo, tea bags, I have flavored left, fruit, milk, aleve, and peanut butter), makes me want to scream that stuff doesn't last here.

Dinner 2/27

We had yesterday's chicken, squash, carrots, green beans and pasta for dinner. Tomorrow, it's going to be homemade french fries, baked hamburgers, steamed veggies (I'm going to have left over chicken, instead of the hamburger). We are experiencing a lack of patients, and low census at work, requiring people to take time off. This hurts my finances, as we don't get differential or critical care pay when using our vacation time.

Dinner 2/26

Crockery chicken thighs, frozen carrots, can green beans and a "rice and sauce" packet. The items I bought this week are totaled in for February Challenge, but will be consumed in March. I'm hoping to stick to my menu plans and be more accountable for my expenditures. My student loans will be coming in, I'm graduating in five weeks with my BSN.

March grocery challenge

March grocery challenge consist of 250 dollars, and spent 43.00 at Food Lion. We bought two boxes of cereal (shredded wheat, frosted), a 24 pack of coke, 2 packages of mark down pork chops, 2 packages of strip steaks, one small chuck roast for 2.95, two packages of ground beef, one almond joy, and one package of peanut M&M's.....all accounted for March, my menu's will not be changed until our two week period is done...Only 207 left for March to spend.

Our pantry/recycling

Our recycling bucket has been in use. After making the chili, my husband used four cans of kidney beans, and three cans of diced tomatoes, one pound of hamburger, a small onion, and various spices. We have a small  amount of pepper jack cheese that will be used from the freezer. The pantry is better off, our recycling is happier, and my finances are thankful. Life is good!!

tonight's dinner 2/24

We are having chili tonight, using a lb of ground beef, a few cans of diced tomatoes, some left over frozen pepper jack cheese, and a bit of onion, with several kinds of beans. It helps to use what pantry stuff we have, instead of buying take out. It keeps my budget low.

Menu plans Feb 24-Mar 9th

Made our meal and menu plans incorporating what I bought at Sharp Shopper yesterday, using a two week timeline. Hoping that making a two week plan goes much easier than attempting a month at a time. It was a little overwhelming for February, and I kept making changes. Second time around, hopefully will be a bit more consistent.

                                                March Menu Plan- Week One

1.       Egg and cheese omelets, sliced banana

2.       Chili with shredded cheese (use pepper jack in freezer) (freeze any extra chili for another meal)

3.       Homemade French fries, baked hamburgers, steamed veggies

4.       Pulled pork (pork loin in freezer), using BBQ and onion, steamed veggies, and long grain rice

5.       Boneless pork chops, cream of mushroom soup, with steamed veggies, and egg noodles

6.       Chicken in crock pot with frozen carrots, canned green beans, and “rice and sauce packet”

7.       Ground beef taco’s, pepper jack cheese, refried beans, soft taco shells, salsa

                                                March Menu Plan- Week Two

8.       Grilled cheese, tomato, chicken noodle or veggie soup

9.       Pancakes, sausage links or patties

10.   Spaghetti, meat balls, sauce, green beans

11.   Roasted Turkey, stuffing, gravy,  and steamed veggies

12.   Turkey and gravy over egg noodles, steamed veggies (freeze leftover turkey)

13.   Homemade mac and cheese (using left over bits of pasta, cheese)

14.   Buffet style clean out the fridge night!!!!

Grocery Challenge

Total spent for February 270.04!! Including in this is the 107.00 I spent today at Sharp Shopper. I found some amazing deals on clearance items, and marked down dairy items. Hoping that I will be able to attempt a March menu plan, to incorporate some of our new findings!

Updated freezer 2/22

Looking through the freezer, we don't have the ground pork I thought we did. But we do have four pounds of ground beef, instead of two.

Dinner 2/22

Using what we have at home, tonight we will have shepard's pie, using 1 lb of ground beef, two cans of corn, potatoes, onion, and various spices!!

updated freezer 2/21

Looking into the freezer:

1 12 lb turkey
I package of brown and serve rolls
1  1lb Johnson sausages
4  1lb ground beef
1 small container of spag. sauce
1 container of beef stock
8 bags of frozen vegetables

1/8 lb of pepper jack cheese

The fridge:
various opened bottles of condiments
margarine
1/2 gallon of milk
6 eggs
2 lb onions
various spices

Dinner 2/21

Belgain waffles, bacon strips, hot chocolate for the kids.

Updated as of 2/21

Pantry Inventory for Feb:

1 64 oz veggie oil
1 box baking soda, baking powder
1 250 oz olive oil
1 24 oz maple syrup- half used

1 box of stove top cream of wheat- almost gone
1 3 lb bag of long grain rice
1 lb bag of egg noodles
1/2 bag of opened popcorn kernels (we pop our own with a air popping unit)
3 pks "noodles and sauce"

2 packs flavored tea
10 packs unsweetened "aldi koolaide"
2 boxes of various hot chocolates
1 lb brown sugar
1 lb powdered sugar
1 canister of bread crumbs
2 tea canisters, red rose and salada
1 gallon vinegar
2 bottles of marinade (aldi)
1 bottles of ketchup 64 oz
4 lb white sugar
7 lb flour
1 lb tri colored pasta
2 lb cans of green beans
3 cream of something soups
2 28 oz spaghetti sauce
various cans of veggies (given to us)

Dinner 2/20

Dinner is in the crock pot, pork chops with mushroom gravy, long grain rice (for the kids), squash, carrots, and zucininni (spelled wrong) mix from Sharp Shopper, peas, and cous cous with saffarin and chives (for Gary and I). It's going to smell awesome in here!

updated pantry list 2/19

pdate on Pantry Inventory

Pantry Inventory for Feb:

1 64 oz veggie oil
1 box baking soda, baking powder
1 250 oz olive oil
1 24 oz maple syrup
1 box of Bisquick
1 box of stove top cream of wheat
1 3 lb bag of long grain rice
1 lb bag of egg noodles
1/2 bag of opened popcorn kernels (we pop our own with a air popping unit)
3 pks "noodles and sauce"
1 box cake mix
1 tub frosting
2 packs flavored tea
10 packs unsweetened "aldi koolaide"
2 boxes of various hot chocolates
1 lb brown sugar
1 lb powdered sugar
1 canister of bread crumbs
2 tea canisters, red rose and salada
1 gallon vinegar
2 bottles of marinade (aldi)
1 bottles of ketchup 64 oz
4 lb white sugar
7 lb flour
1 lb tri colored pasta
2 lb cans of green beans
3 cream of something soups
2 28 oz spaghetti sauce
various cans of veggies (given to us)

Updated Freezer items 2/19

Looking into the freezer:

1 12 lb turkey
2  1lb ground mild pork sausage
1  1lb Johnson sausages
2  1lb ground beef
1   1lb ground turkey
1 container of beef stock
10 bags of frozen vegetables

1 lb bacon ends
1/8 lb of pepper jack cheese

The fridge:
various opened bottles of condiments
margarine
1 and 1/2 gallons of milk
6 eggs
2 lb onions
various spices

Breakfast this morning was a last loaf of raisin bread toasted. Our lunch will consist of pb&j, using the last little bit of apple and black berry jelly, so I can get those containers into the recycling. Dinner tonight, consist of red beans, rice, and turkey sausage. On the side, we will have what is left of the grapes. I found that we still have a half gallon of milk dated today, in hopes of saving it, I put chocolate syrup in it, and will pass it to the children to drink through out the day, so this doesn't go to waste.

Today's plan

Everyone is up and moving, the girls are getting ready to do dishes, Kevin is cleaning up the living room, Gary is taking Kevin to the landfill to get rid of recycles, and I'm going to help the girls wash dishes....took out some gingerbread cookies (Sharp Shopper find, 50 cents), kids can bake those and frost, and then dinner this evening (red beans, rice, and turkey sausage), and if the kids behave today, wrestling special tonight on pay per view!!!

Dinner 2/17

having found some left over spaghetti sauce with meat in the freezer, I'm using half pound of pasta, the left over sauce and going to make spaghetti. The kids can pick between that and left over refried bean burritos (kids been eating those for two days).