Sunday, March 14, 2021

Menu Planning-Deals on Ground Beef

     


     We did a little stocking up on small packages of ground beef, and ground beef products thanks to a $1.99 sale at the Kwik Trip. It's odd buying  groceries in a C store, but we use the Kwik Trip often for basics as they have their own dairy, bakery, and meat counter so the value is quite good. It's a quick in and out shop when we need only  those basics. Besides two pounds of ground beef, we bought three taco meats, and a Bolognese. DH had bought two each hamburger and taco meat on Sunday and I got taco ad bolognese. I might have bought more, but there were slim pickngs yesterday. Both on Sunday afternoon and yesterdays quick stop, we got banana's, bread, and tortillas. When he filled up at the gas station attached to grocery store, and he will not use pay at the pump as he doesn't trust the credit card readers, he saw they had the  expensive pub pizza's on BOGO, so grabbed two of them with his gas. I  didn't end up real grocery shopping as it was too nice but for the week we did spend  $36 and for the month, $228. Maybe today I'll shop as we have a few things on the list, but I also can put off a few more days and send DH with tuna or egg salad for his lunches a couple days. We've still got apples and with yesterday, bananas. Veggies though are very slim!  

     On with meal planning. Here was the plan for the week of March 7-13th.

Sunday: Tuna hotdish with roasted carrots, homemade French bread (making today-two loaves)
Monday: Homemade +chicken lo mein with mixed vegetables
Tuesday: Meatballs in mushroom soup, rice, and green beans
Wednesday: Chicken strips wild rice, and cauliflower
Thursday: Bone in country ribs, roasted potatoes, *frozen baked beans
Friday: *Cheddar broccoli soup and egg salad sandwiches
Saturday: Crockpot pasta prima vera with *French bread

And the reality:

Sunday: Tuna hotdish with roasted carrots, homemade French bread (making today-two loaves)
Monday: Homemade +chicken lo mein with mixed vegetables
Tuesday: Meatballs in a sort of sticky ketchup, BBQ, and mustard coating, rice, and a delicious cauliflower au gratin that we devoured.
Wednesday: Chicken strips, *frozen baked beans, potato wedges
Thursday: DH frozen pizza as I was not feeling well, 
Friday: Bone in country ribs, mashed potatoes, green beans
Saturday: Ended up getting take out from a new rib joint. Every restaurant looked packed and for indoor dining judging by parking lots. It's tad more expensive for similar menu items but for quality we give it two thumbs up-delicious and we ate too much! 

For the week ahead, I'm back to basics, but maybe there will be some inspired changes. 

Sunday: Crockpot pasta prima vera with *French bread
Monday: Chicken Cottage pie or a pot pie
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday, with rice and black beans or refried beans
Wednesday: Rice Hotdish, with carrots, celery
Thursday: Penne pasta with Bolognese (I'll add an additional can of diced tomatoes as DH doesn't like how thick the Bolognese is. 
Friday: Fish, coleslaw, baked potato
Saturday: Possibly Sloppy Joe's and diced roasted potato's, but TBD if I need to change-likely leftovers

     We're (I'm) making good use of leftovers for lunch most of the time. However, we've gotten in an occasional bad habit of picking up Whoppers on Thursday when DH is home-it's so close and either there are coupons, or the regular 2 for $5 special. I think we've had BK for lunch four times since the start of the year, and I know he's grabbed McDonald's or Arby's several more-likely once per week. Then the unplanned take our last night was a splurge, but I feel good about ordering form a new local business, that pushed off opening for a year into the pandemic. (They have another more sit down version a town south and it will be a nice change of pace to have good BBQ here) I know compared to many people that work full time, our take out/fast food isn't that often, but more frequent than either of our hearts need. I may start trying to menu plan lunch as well-making sure I have thought through a nice lunch for us both to take that Thursday temptation away. Of course, I can't do anything about him stopping  when he goes to the lake on Thursdays, which will be more frequent with the warmer weather. What are you eating this week? Feel free to tweak my menu with good substitutes ideas.

24 comments:

  1. I don't know, maybe the take aways can be offset against the money you're saving in gas by working from home. Sometimes it's nice not to cook!

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    1. This is a no challenge month, but as for eating out, it's quality lacking with fast food. Even every couple weeks is too much.

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  2. It has been so many years since we've eaten any fast food I'm sure it would rip our stomachs up if we did. Monday - Friday we usually eat left overs, soups or salads for lunch. Have a great Sunday!!

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    1. Yes, that is what the fast good does all right!

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  3. I don’t even remember my meal plan from last week, but we ate! Leftovers today, the fridge is bursting at the seams. Hubby picked up a half price huge rotisserie chicken yesterday and I’m debating what to do with it. Maybe a small batch of chicken salad and then a casserole of some sort. I planned on roast for dinner today but that’s getting pushed further in the week. Ham, potatoes and green beans in the crockpot (I’ll skip the potatoes), meatloaf (I’m going to use ground pork rinds instead of bread crumbs) and a big batch of the asparagus, cream and cheese side dish I made two weeks ago. I’ll grab some veggies and things from Aldi tomorrow and then do a grocery pickup either tomorrow or Tuesday. JoAnn

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    1. I want no fast food temptations this week. Lori has it right. The bbq place was very good though. I love homemade soup with the rotisserie chicken leftovers-I think that is a good idea when my daughter comes home as she likes chicken that way and I can send her back with some soup.

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  4. The plan sounds good. It's been such a long time since I've had fast food it would probably make me sick now. We almost always have either soup or a smoothie for lunch just depending on the weather.

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    1. Yes-it does usually have negative effects, but yet, I still have fast food on too many occasions. Not this week

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  5. Could you post your cauliflower recipe. I'm not a fan but my husband liked it boiled which I can't stand. I'm tired of broccoli and green beans.

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    1. I'll try and add on Wednesday, but basically, I just made a white sauce with butter, flour, and milk, but loaded it with onion and garlic powder, plus salt and pepper, then stirred in steamed cauliflower and about 1/2 cup shredded cheese. It was really creamy, and I put in a pie plate and topped with bread crumbs and baked for another 20 minute or so for cheese to melt and topping to crisp up. .

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    2. Sounds good thanks. No need to type recipe up.

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  6. We do fast food only in a pinch, and Subway is the one we usually choose. In & Out is a very rare splurge, but the boys love it, and M can get his protein style (no bun). I really like Chipotle, but Nick isn't a fan, so that's usually out. That's pretty much it for us. We don't typically eat out a lot, but mostly because our house is not conveniently located very near restaurants, and definitely no fast food restaurants near us.

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    1. BQ is across from the grocery store and there are several bar and grills within a mile of our house-too much too close!

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  7. Kwik Trip is like a small grocery store, at least the one near me. They often have good deals. The cauliflower dish sounds delish. Celie

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    1. For produce, dairy, bread, and meat, it sure can be!

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  8. Do you ever grind your own?
    I read a cookbook this afternoon on doing so, as it is far superior

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    1. Nope-and can't see that I would. If I wanted to buy better quality, which I surely should, we have an excellent local butcher in town. We will splurge on his brats and burgers for holiday BBQ's.

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  9. Hey I think picking up a 2/5 special once in a while is great.

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    1. Once in a while-maybe, but we have been doing more than once in a while. It sure tastes better though than McDonalds, to me anyway.

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  10. After a week rife with meatballs because I did not feel well, I need to find frozen chicken and thaw it for dinners this week. We have lots of greens, caarrots and tomatoes for salads. I might make a pasta salad for one night or lunch, too.

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  11. Your menu plan looks great. I never make tacos and am going to try some fish ones if I get up the nerve to buy some Mahi. I still am staying close to home even with the Vaccine but I'm about ready to venture out more. Younger GS is quarantining now- a classmate came down with it Tuesday....grandson's best friend. Of course that means he had to cancel college trips since spring break is just Weds-Friday here. I guess his friend who is just 16 is pretty sick too.

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    1. I hope your GS doesn't catch-it. He must be a junior if he is starting to explore colleges? I'm gob smacked to think after April, my daughter will be halfway done with college! My guys and youngest love fish tacos and will order out, but I've never made. We have tacos and burritos a lot, because we all like them and I can make with different meat, toppings, and can be vegan if my older daughter joins us.

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  12. I think it is wonderful to have found stock up price ground beef at a convenience store. The ones around here only carry hot dogs and beef jerky as meat options!
    We have been known to hit the Burger King 2/5 special on occasion also.

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