Menu for the week of 11/2 thru 11/8

CHEESY BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

SUNDAY:
Leftover Sausage Quiche
Leftover Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage
Steak
Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

MONDAY:
Atkins Meatloaf

TUESDAY:
Leftovers

WEDNESDAY:
Swiss Onion Quiche
Chicken with Peanut Curry Sauce

THURSDAY:
Leftovers

FRIDAY:
Chile Relleno Casserole

SATURDAY:
Leftovers

CHICKEN WITH PEANUT CURRY SAUCE

CHILE RELLENO CASSEROLE

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Shopping List - Week of October 26 - November 1

TUESDAY'S SHOPPING

 

HEB (Tuesday):
Jalapenos @ .88lb - $.74

TOTAL - $.74

FOOD TOWN (Tuesday):
Bread - $.79
3 8-ounce shredded cheese @ 1.77 each - $5.31
Cabbage @ .59lb - $.90
Toothpaste - $.99

TOTAL - $8.06

KROGER (Thursday):
Peanut butter @ 1.79 (minus 10% discount) - $1.61
2 ice cream @ 2.50 each - $5.00
Napkins @ .97 (minus 10% discount) - $.87
Tissue @ 1.00 (minus 10% discount) - $.90
3 cans tuna @ .69 each (minus 10% discount) - $1.86
Frozen green beans @ 1.00 (minus 10% discount) - $.90
Frozen broccoli/cauliflower @ 1.00 (minus 10% discount) - $.90
Kitchen trash bags @ 3.29 (minus 10% discount) - $2.96

TOTAL - $15.39

WALMART (Thursday):
Dish gel - $2.98
Makeup cloths - $5.97
2 rolls tape @ .97 each - $1.94
Hand lotion - $3.42
Vinegar - $.56
True Lime @ 2.54 (minus .40 coupon) - $2.14
Face scrub - $1.97
Deodorant - $2.47

TOTAL - $22.79

ALDI (Thursday):
4 ounce can mushrooms - $.59
2 8-ounce cheddar cheese @ 1.89 - $3.78
4 Dozen eggs @ .99 - $3.96

TOTAL - $8.33

GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WEEK - $55.31

THURSDAY'S SHOPPING

 
I'm a little late posting this because I just got my computer back from the repair shop yesterday afternoon. I got way behind on a lot of things due to not having my computer for nearly two weeks. Thankfully it's back and working fine again.

This morning I made a batch of Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage using a can of corned beef that I bought for just 99-cents at Aldi a couple weeks ago. I was surprised to find that it was a bit different than the brands I've used before. I've used Libby and Armour brands which are both very soft and they fall apart when stirred into the cabbage. The brand I got from Aldi is more like beef "Spam". I was able to cut it into small cubes and they held their shape during cooking.

I also want to mention that I've changed my email address. Updating all of my accounts took me several hours last night but I finally got that finished up this morning. I don't want to have to do that again anytime soon. Anyway, if you want to contact me by email, you can get my new address on my main site HERE.

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Tuesday's Shopping

 

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Menu for the week of 10/26 thru 11/1

SALSA SAUSAGE QUICHE

SUNDAY:
Leftover Ham Quiche
Leftover Pork & Bell Pepper Stir-Fry
Leftover Pound Cake

MONDAY:
Sloppy Dog Casserole (new recipe)

TUESDAY:
Pizza (either Deep Dish or with LC-Foods pizza crust)

WEDNESDAY:
Salsa Sausage Quiche
Leftovers

THURSDAY:
Easy Corned Beef & Cabbage

FRIDAY:
Leftovers

SATURDAY:
Leftovers

EASY CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE

My menu looks a bit sparse for next week so I may have to add some Tuna Muffins or something to fill the gaps. We have too many leftovers this week so I've moved the Sloppy Dog Casserole up a couple of days.

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Shopping List - Week of October 19 - October 25

TUESDAY'S SHOPPING

HEB (Tuesday):
Quart heavy cream - $3.56
Nasal strips - $6.88

TOTAL - $10.44

FOOD TOWN (Tuesday):
2 green peppers @ 2/1.25 - $1.25
5 cans tomato sauce @ .20 each - $1.00
Bacon pieces @ .99lb - $2.91
Ground beef @ 1.79lb (marked down) - $4.39
1 tomato @ .99lb - $.50

TOTAL - $10.84

KROGER (Thursday):
6 CARBmaster yogurt @ .40 each (minus 10% discount) - $2.16
12 pack diet soda @ 2.39 (minus 10% discount) - $2.15
Peanut butter @ 1.79 (minus 10% discount) - $1.61
2 8-ounce shredded cheddar @ 1.99 each (minus 10% discount) - $3.58
5 8-ounce cream cheese @ 1.00 each (minus 10% discount) - $4.50
Maybelline liner pencils @ 2.62 (minus $2.00 coupon) - $.62
2 pork sausage @ 3.00 each (minus 10% discount) - $5.40
Rubber gloves @ 1.19 (minus 10% discount) - $1.07

TOTAL - $21.41

WALMART (Thursday):
Coffee - $2.98
Decaf - $3.48
Thai red curry paste - $2.42

TOTAL - $8.88

ALDI (Thursday):
8 ounce Swiss cheese - $1.89
8 ounce colby jack cheese - $1.89
2 Dozen eggs @ .99 - $1.98

TOTAL - $5.76

HEB (Thursday):
2 ice cream @ buy 1/get one free - $4.48 (still 1/2 gallon, by the way)
3 permanent markers - $1.49

TOTAL - $6.09

GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WEEK - $63.42 (over budget by $3.42)

THURSDAY'S SHOPPING

 
The bacon pieces were the best deal this week. I'd never seen it sold that way before so I was taking a chance that it would be good bacon. I could smell the smoky aroma through the wrapping which was a good sign. As soon as I got home I fried up a few pieces to taste and it's wonderful bacon. I divided it up into 1/4 pound portions and put it in the freezer to use in recipes.

I know that I said that I wouldn't buy more ground beef until I'd used some of what I have in my freezer stash but I made an exception this week. Food Town had one package marked down and I was planning to make burgers anyway. So, rather than thawing some meat for the burgers, I went ahead and used the fresh stuff. Burgers are always nicer made fresh rather than with frozen meat.

The decaf that I buy for Jerry from Walmart has gone up quite a bit since the last time I bought it so I think I'm going to start buying it at Aldi. It was $2.78 at Walmart for a very long time (years) and now they want $3.48. Both the regular and decaf coffee are cheaper than Walmart's prices at Aldi, at least at the moment. Of course it's always a gamble and the next time I need to buy coffee for Jerry, I'll likely find that Aldi has raised their price. We shall see. 

Oops! I just noticed that I had the dates wrong - Linda 

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Thursday's Shopping

My computer is in the shop for repairs so I'm using my husband's computer. I'll post my shopping list for this week after I get my computer back. 

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I got a super deal on those bacon pieces. I'll tell you about them when I post my shopping list for the week. 

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Menu for the week of 10/19 thru 10/25

PORK & BELL PEPPER STIR-FRY

SUNDAY:
Leftover Tijuana Quiche
Leftover Burger Scramble Florentine
Leftover Mushroom Chicken & Sausage Casserole

MONDAY:
Tuna Muffins & Tartar Sauce 
TUESDAY:
Leftovers

WEDNESDAY:
Eggplant Lasagna (if I can get eggplant on sale)
Burgers & Baked Beans
Ham Quiche

THURSDAY:
Pork & Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

FRIDAY:
Leftovers
Pound Cake

SATURDAY:
Sloppy Dog Casserole (new recipe)

POUND CAKE

 
I'm still hoping to find a good price on eggplant. I bought the whole milk mozzarella to make Eggplant Lasagna and now I just need the eggplant. The best price I've seen lately is $1.00 each and I'm hoping to get them 2/$1.00. If they don't go on sale soon, I may just go ahead and pay a buck each for two of them.

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Shopping List - Week of October 12 - October 18

TUESDAY'S SHOPPING

HEB (Tuesday):
12-pack diet soda - $2.25
Coconut curry powder (bulk spices) - $.21
Ground allspice (bulk spices) - .59

TOTAL - $3.24

FOOD TOWN (Tuesday):
Jalapenos @ .79lb - $.94
Onions @ .39lb - $.76
Roma tomatoes @ .89lb - $.41
Garlic @ 1.99lb - $.58
Ham pieces @ 1.99lb - $3.86

TOTAL - $6.55

KROGER (Thursday):
7 CARBmaster yogurt @ .40 each (minus 10% discount) - $2.52
Pork & beans @ .59 (minus 10% discount) - $.53
Coconut @ 1.25 (minus 10% discount) - $1.12
American cheese @ 3.88 (minus 10% discount) - $3.49
Chicken thighs @ .99lb - $5.30
Ice cream @ 2.69 (minus 10% discount) - $2.42
Frozen cauliflower @ 1.00 (minus 10% discount) - $.90
Mustard seed @ .99 (minus 10% discount) - $.89 (half price sale on spices this week)

TOTAL - $17.17

WALMART (Thursday):
Q-tips - $1.94
Black card stock - $3.97
Refill size shower spray - $3.67

TOTAL - $10.37

SPROUTS (Thursday):
Boneless chicken thighs @ 1.88lb - $3.82

TOTAL - $3.82

ALDI (Thursday):
8 ounce Colby cheese - $1.99
8 ounce colby jack cheese - $1.99
Dozen eggs - $1.19
2 x 8 ounce cremini mushrooms @ .69 each - $1.38
Cream cheese - $1.29
Pork sausage - $2.89

TOTAL - $10.73

GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WEEK - $51.88

THURSDAY'S SHOPPING

I came in $8.12 under budget this week even though I ended up buying some things that I hadn't planned for. I bought the large refill size of the shower spray and had only planned to buy the regular size. I wasn't planning to buy the mustard seed but I couldn't pass it up for the price. Kroger has most of their brand of spices 50% off this week. I use that whenever I make pickles and that's nearly every week lately. The bone-in chicken thighs were 30-cents more than I was planning to spend but that was as close as I could get to $5.00. Also, the chicken from Sprouts was slightly more than I'd estimated too. Oh, and I got two containers of mushrooms at Aldi and I was only planning to buy one. I'm going to use them when I make my Mushroom Chicken and Sausage Casserole on Sunday. Hopefully they'll stay fresh until then.

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Tuesday's Shopping

 

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Menu for the week of 10/12 thru 10/18

HOUSTON CHICKEN

SUNDAY:
Leftover Swiss Onion Quiche
Leftover Deep Dish Pizza
Houston Chicken

MONDAY:
Burger Scramble Florentine

TUESDAY:
Leftovers

WEDNESDAY:
Eggplant Lasagna (if I can get eggplant on sale)
Leftovers
Tijuana Quiche

THURSDAY:
Chandran's Chicken Curry

FRIDAY:
Leftovers

SATURDAY:
Leftovers
Tuna Muffins & Tartar Sauce

The Houston Chicken got moved ahead to next week because we have too many other leftovers to use up this week. I wasn't able to get a good price on eggplant this week so I'll try again for next week.

CHANDRAN'S CHICKEN CURRY

TUNA MUFFINS

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Shopping List - Week of October 3 - October 11

TUESDAY'S SHOPPING

HEB (Tuesday):
2 ice cream @ 3.50 each - $7.00
2 heavy cream @ 3.56 each - $7.12
Garam masala (sold by the pound) - $.27
Paprika @ 5.99lb (sold by the pound) - $3.23
Dried vegetable mix (sold by the pound) - $.26

TOTAL - $17.88

FOOD TOWN (Tuesday):
Bread - $.79
4 8-ounce tomato sauce @ .25 each - $1.00
1 pound fresh bean sprouts - $.99

TOTAL - $2.78

KROGER (Thursday):
7 CARBmaster yogurt @ .40 each (minus 10% discount) - $2.52
Xanthan gum (marked down) - $2.59
2 12-packs diet soda @ 2.39 each (minus 10% discount) - $4.30
2 cans tuna @ .69 each (minus 10% discount) - $1.24 (price down from .78 per can)
18 ounce peanut butter @ 1.79 (minus 10% discount & .45 coupon) - $1.16
16 ounce shredded mozzarella @ 3.79 (minus 10% discount) - $3.41

TOTAL - $15.57

WALMART (Thursday):
Coffee filters - $1.28
Toothpaste - $1.67
4 ounce can green chiles - $.58
Toothpicks - $.58
Dryer sheets - $2.26

TOTAL - $6.70

SPROUTS (Thursday):
3 cucumbers @ 3/$1.00 - $1.00
1 pound bulk pecan pieces @ 5.99lb - $5.99

TOTAL - $6.99

ALDI (Thursday):
2 cans corned beef @ .99 each - $1.98
8 ounce Colby cheese - $1.99
8 ounce Swiss cheese - $1.99
2 pounds butter @ 1.99 each - $3.98
1 pound ground turkey - $1.69
Dozen eggs - $1.19

TOTAL - $12.82

GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WEEK - $62.74 (over budget by $2.74)

THURSDAY'S SHOPPING

You'll never guess what was still in the clearance bin at Kroger today. Yes, the other bag of xanthan gum that was marked down to the ridiculous price of only $2.59! I really couldn't pass it up and I'm sure I'll use it eventually and will probably never need to buy more in my lifetime now that I've got a whole pound of it!

I mainly went to Aldi this morning because they have butter on sale this week and I needed eggs. I got a couple pounds of butter, the eggs and of course I found a few other items that I couldn't pass up. The corned beef was a steal for just 99-cents per can. It's over $4.00 at Walmart. The ground turkey seemed a reasonable price too. There's a recipe that I haven't made in ages that calls for ground turkey and pork sausage. It's my Stuffing Pie. It actually calls for 20 ounces of ground turkey but I'm sure that a pound will be plenty what with the sausage, cheese and eggs.

STUFFING PIE

I saw something interesting at Aldi that I hadn't seen there before. They have their own version of the Atkins Advantage bars. They call them "Advance" bars and you get five bars per box for $4.99. I didn't look closely to see what flavors they had but I recall seeing one with a white filling, peanuts and caramel (I think) and a chocolate one that might have been a knock-off of the "Oreo" cookie Atkins bars.

I got a great price on bulk pecan pieces at Sprouts. I usually buy my nuts at Trader Joe's because they have the best price around. I pay $3.99 for an 8-ounce bag at Trader Joe's which works out to $7.98 per pound. Well, the bulk pecan pieces are only $5.99 pound at Sprouts this week and they're normally $11.99 pound. Ouch!!!

I also bought three cucumbers at Sprouts so that I can make a large batch of Bread & Butter Pickles for Jerry. He's down to half a quart jar of them in the fridge.

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Tuesday's Shopping

I make a lot of my own spice and seasoning mixes and the base of many of them is paprika. I used to be able to buy gigantic jars of it at Kroger, for a reasonable price, but now they only sell it in small jars like everyone else. Since I can easily use most of a little jar in one big batch of taco seasoning or seasoning salt, I had to find a better option. Penzeys has it of course, but it is quite expensive there. A pound bag of California paprika costs $17.60 from Penzeys and the Spanish variety would be $20.40. Yikes! So, this morning I looked at both Food Town and HEB in hopes that they might have the large jars. Neither one had anything other than tiny jars but then I remembered that HEB sells spices in their bulk food department. I'm so glad that I thought to look there because the Spanish paprika was only $5.99 pound and I could buy as much as I needed! I bought a little over half a pound and it only cost me $3.23, which is not much more than I would have paid for a little 3.75 ounce jar or tin at Kroger ($2.69). I just did the math and Kroger's paprika works out to almost $11.50 pound!

HEB has a nice selection of bulk spices so I'll definitely go back for more. I'd forgotten that I'm running a little low on allspice because of all the pickles I've been making lately so I'll pick some up next week. I did buy two other things to try. I got 26-cents worth of mixed dried vegetables to use for something. I have no idea what but they looked interesting. The mixture is carrots, onions, tomatoes, spinach, celery and bell peppers. If I had to buy that in a little jar in the spice aisle, there's no way it would have only cost 26-cents. I also bought 27-cents worth of garam masala. Again, it will easily fill a small spice jar that probably would have cost me at least $4.00. You just don't see exotic spices like that except in the premium spice brands like Spice Islands and they're very pricey.

As you can see, I didn't buy any meat today. It's just as well that my freezer is full because they didn't have anything marked down this week anyway.
 

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Favorite Recipe: Tuna Casserole III

I've updated this recipe because ingredient quantities have changed and I've also simplified the way that I make it now. Click HERE to see the recipe on my main site.

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Menu for the week of 10/5 thru 10/11

TUNA "RICE" CASSEROLE"

SUNDAY:
Leftover Sausage Quiche
Leftover Enchilada Bake Variation
Leftover Roast Chicken and green beans
Tuna "Rice" Casserole

MONDAY:
Leftovers

TUESDAY:
Quick Asian Pork Stir-Fry

WEDNESDAY:
Leftovers
Eggplant Lasagna (if I can get eggplant on sale)

THURSDAY:
Swiss Onion Quiche
Houston Chicken

FRIDAY:
Leftovers
Bananas Foster Crème Brûlée
Perfect LC Pancakes

SATURDAY:
Deep Dish Pizza or Pizza with LC-Foods Pizza Crust

QUICK ASIAN PORK STIR-FRY

BANANAS FOSTER CRÈME BRÛLÉE

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Shopping List - Week of September 28 - October 4

TUESDAY'S SHOPPING

HEB (Tuesday):
Shower spray - $1.97
Ice cream - $3.50
3 bags pork rinds (coupon 3/$3.00) - $3.00

TOTAL - $8.63

FOOD TOWN (Tuesday):
Ground beef @ 1.49lb (marked down) - $16.05
2 8-ounce cheese @ 1.88 each - 3.76
Dozen eggs - $1.71
Bread - $.79
Jalapenos @ .69lb - $.88
Onions @ .39lb - $.69
Bacon flavored smoked sausage (marked down) - $1.99

TOTAL - $25.87

KROGER (Thursday):
2 dozen eggs @ 1.50 each (minus 10% discount) - $2.70
7 CARBmaster yogurt @ .40 each (minus 10% discount) - $2.52
Frozen yogurt @ 2.50 (minus 10% discount + .40 coupon) - $1.85
Pork sausage @ 3.00 (minus 10% discount + .40 coupon) - $2.70
Napkins @ .97 (minus 10% discount + .40 coupon) - $.87
Xanthan gum (marked down) - $2.59
Atkins peanut butter cups (marked down) - $2.79

TOTAL - $16.49

WALMART (Thursday):
Cooking spray - $2.08
Coffee - $2.98
Decaf - $2.78
Pancake syrup - $1.28
Tomato paste - $.46
16 ounces whole milk mozzarella - $3.64

TOTAL - $13.22

SPROUTS (Thursday):
Coco Polo chocolate bar - $4.64 (with tax)
Kerrygold butter - $2.99

TOTAL - $7.63

GRAND TOTAL FOR THE WEEK - $71.84 (over budget by $11.84)

THURSDAY'S SHOPPING

As I mentioned on Tuesday, grocery shopping is a gamble because the prices can be all over the place. For example, today I bought a can of cooking spray at Walmart because I assumed that it would be cheaper there than at Kroger. WRONG! I paid $2.08 for it and found out afterward that it was only $1.79 at Kroger. Plus, I would have gotten 10% off at Kroger and paid just $1.61.

You're probably thinking that I've gone off the deep end buying pancake syrup. It's not for me, it's for my husband. I still have just enough Bisquick left to make him one batch of pancakes but I gave our syrup to our son when he moved out last spring.

I got a bag of xanthan gum from the clearance bin at Kroger for a steal today. The price was unbelievable at $2.59 for an 8 ounce bag! I wish I'd remembered just how expensive it usually is because they had two bags marked down to that price. The mark-down sticker said that the regular price was $5.08 but I know that's not right. Xanthan gum is usually at least $11.00 for an 8 ounce bag! I'm tempted to go back for the other bag but one bag will last me years and there's no guarantee that the bag hasn't been sold and I'd rather not waste gas and time.

The Atkins peanut butter cups were also a good deal at $2.79 marked down. I thought my husband might enjoy them. I'll have to stay away from them because of the maltitol.

I did splurge on some chocolate for myself though. I'd heard that Coco Polo chocolate was supposed to be very good but I was disappointed with it. Sprouts finally had the plain chocolate without almonds in stock so I decided to try it. It was outrageously expensive though and it turns out that I don't like it as well as the Lilly's chocolate which is a little cheaper. It's very bitter even though the label states that it's 70% cocoa. It is about as bitter as Lindt's 85% cocoa which is more bitter than I care for.

I also treated myself to some Kerrygold butter from Sprouts. It's on sale this week for $2.99 (8 ounces) so I thought I'd try it once and find out why it's so popular. I've been eating eggs quite a lot lately and I thought that would be the perfect way to try out the butter. It would be foolish to use such expensive butter in a recipe where the flavor wouldn't be noticeable but I can really taste the butter when I make scrambled eggs because I use a tablespoon per egg. Hopefully there will be enough of a flavor difference between the Kerrygold and the cheaper brands that I usually buy to justify my extravagance. When I got home from the store, I removed it from the wrapper and put it in a plastic storage container to make it easier to measure out. It has a very difference consistency than the butter I usually buy. Regular butter is quite hard when it is cold and the Kerrygold is soft and creamy. I'm curious to know if $2.99 was a good price for Kerrygold or not. How much does it usually cost where you shop? The regular Sprouts price is $3.79 and I definitely would never pay that much for half a pound of butter. I don't even pay that much for a full pound of regular butter.
 

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