Menu Monday: Monday May 12th 2008

Posted by: Elizabeth on Monday, May 12th, 2008

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping (yes, on Mother’s Day, my husband was outside scraping paint) with a list, for the items needed for yesterday’s lunch and dinner, cereal, milk, lunchmeat, and snacks meant to last about three days. The total came to just over ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. I was absolutely in SHOCK. There is no way that on one income, with gas at $3.89 a gallon and a husband who drives 45 minutes to work each way every day, that we can afford a grocery bill like that. When I got home, I called a Family Meeting and told everyone that if they want to take a trip up to Great Wolf Lodge later this summer, we are going to have to really clamp down on the food budget.

A lot of it has to do with my own lack of organization and planning; there’s an Aldi about two miles away where groceries can be purchased for much less than the prices at the grocery store that is less than a mile from my house, but where I make far too many “emergency” food runs. I’m also guilty of giving in to my kids’ love of sugary, salty, commercially prepared snacks.

So here’s the plan for this week- I’m going to dust off my copy of Frozen Assets by Deborah Taylor-Hough, which has recipes, shopping lists and cooking plans for assembling thirty meals in one day of cooking. One of the co-authors says in the book that she does all her shopping at Aldi.

To get an idea of what bulk cooking looks like, visit my new favorite cooking blog A Simple Walk. She has FOUR KIDS and still managed to cook and freeze ELEVEN POUNDS of ground beef into meatloaves, meatballs, ground beef for the freezer, and sloppy joes! My HERO :)

Since I still have to plan what I’m going to make first I can’t really plan a menu yet, so I’ll give you the recipe for the chicken we are having tonight which is cooking in the crockpot right now.

Creamy Garlic Alfredo Chicken in the Crockpot:

One 3 pound bag IQF* boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 envelopes McCormick’s Garlic Alfredo dry pasta sauce mix (found next to the spaghetti sauce)
One large can (approx. 26 ounces) Cream of Chicken Soup
2 cups milk
Salt
Dried Parsley
Dried Thyme leaves
Fettucine

In a large crockpot, place all of the chicken breasts. My bag had about eight small ones. Cover and turn on low to start defrosting the chicken. In a large bowl, mix together the the contents of the two pasta sauce mix envelopes, the Cream of Chicken Soup, the milk, and the seasonings. Adjust to taste. Spoon over the chicken making sure it is covered. Replace cover and cook on Low until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 8 hours. Serve over hot cooked Fettucine.

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6 Responses to “Menu Monday: Monday May 12th 2008”

Sonshine Says:
May 12th, 2008 at 9:55 am

I totally understand not spending $100/week for groceries! I am in the middle of shopping from pantry challenge and for two weeks of shopping,I have only spent $81!!

That recipe for the Chicken Alfredo sounds yummy!! I think I will have to try it out considering that my hubby has been requesting some every time he sees Pizza Hut’s commerical for their pasta dishes.

Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your week!

Sonshines last blog post..Menu Plan Monday 5/11-5/17

Elizabeth Says:
May 12th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

Are we the same person! J/K. I just recently began shopping at Aldi as well and have cut my budget.Sort of.I have 4 boys and they can eat.Not to mention my husband.I am on a mission to get my grocery bill down from $800 a month.yes.you read right.eight hundred dollars! every four weeks……..wish me luck.

Elizabeths last blog post..Spicy Tuna Salad

Joy @ Five J's Says:
May 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm

Thanks for linking to my site, although I don’t claim to be ANY kind of authority on cooking. I’m really in the beginning stages of learning how to cook! I’ve been just a spaghetti cook up till now, but I’ve been enjoying my foray into the cooking world immensely.

I’m glad you linked, though, because it introduced me to your site, which I think is marvelous! I like your crock pot recipe, too. We’ve done things similarly, although without all the spices you’ve added. I’m going to have to try that sometime, although I’m going to try to figure out how to make my own garlic alfredo mix. I’m really trying to lower my food bill and refraining from buying prepackaged mixes is one of the things I’m working on.

Thanks again for the link love! I’ll be keeping up with your site in my reader.

Joy

Joy @ Five J’ss last blog post..Sunday…The Last Straw (3 Moms, 3 Kitchens, 31 Days)

JBourne Says:
May 12th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

Besides just bulk cooking, why not bulk buying? It only works if you have a lot of storage space, but you could easily go to Costco or Sam’s Club every two months and stuck up on lots of things for cheap. Only downside is you need a lot of space to store it all.

JBournes last blog post..Polycarbonate Water Bottles, BPA, and Safety

Kate Says:
May 13th, 2008 at 12:15 am

Thank you so much for the link! I am so glad to hear that you have found my blog encouraging. I have never read Frozen Assets. I’ll have to see if our library has a copy of it.

Your blog is just wonderful and I’m looking forward to spending more time here looking around and reading through all of your recipes. Thanks again!

DanceWear Says:
May 15th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

Sounds good! : ] I’ll have to give that a try!

I have to do some grocery shopping today and I am dreading it! Between spending money on gas and food — I hardly have the money for anything else!

 

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