Menu with what's on sale for the week of Mar. 30-April 5

Not sure why it's running all together, I tried to fix it once, I will try tomorrow. I will also post the Younker's dressing tomorrow.Kind of a whirlwind week for me, the kind that you think will start and end out one way but then takes a u-turn and turns out a totally different way. It's all good, though. Oh, and by the way, Happy April Fool's day. I had a baby on this day many years ago. No one believed the husband when he called to give the news. I had wanted to post some killer post about FREE FOOD at the grocery stores....like everything in the aisles for FREE, but I ran out of time this morning in preparing for my day. We love April Fool's day here in this house, it is always joyous b/c it is a family b-day day. Lots of possibilities this week and good buys on things that I didn't post b/c the $ ran out before I could. If you didn't want to make the White chicken chili, you could scrap some of those ingredients and make the "Favorite Chicken" of Sooz's in the chicken recipe section. You will need rice, chicken, scallions, mushrooms, chicken broth and cheese for that dish. You may already have enough rice in your pantry from past weeks. A Caesar salad or Chicken Caesar salad would totally work with Cheese Omelets on Egg night if that sounds better to you, but you will have to adjust your budget for it. Again this week, milk is not listed, except for Safeway and I think that was a pretty good price at $1.79 for Dairy Glen. I don't have milk on the grocery list b/c I didn't have anything from Safeway posted this week. You should be able to find a brand of milk for $1.99 or $2.39 at either Fry's or Bashas'. When I venture out to the grocery store this week, I will update this. On one of the nights I suggested that you grill pineapple if you wanted to. This could be a killer dessert if vanilla ice cream were added to the finished product. Bashas' has Food Club Supreme ice cream for 3/$10, so $3.33/half gallon. Fry's has Kroger Value Apple Juice Cocktail for $1.29. I took it off of the menu draft b/c I went over. The same with the Food Club Pancake mix for $2 from Bashas'. I added one more can of beans than you needed this week to the buy 8 Albertson's deal b/c they were the cheapest thing on the list and I could get the 8 without breaking the budget. If Life or Captain Crunch cereals are not your thing, add some oats at Sprouts to your shopping list, but then you'll have to adjust your buy 8 deal at Albies. Sorry, I hope all of this doesn't make your head spin. Anyway, enjoy. I'd love to hear how you re-vamp the menus to fit your family's weekly dinner menu. I'd love to hear how you make a dollar or a dime stretccccccchhhhhhhh to the utmost. $79.08 Breakfast 1-Cold cereal, milk 2-Egg biscuit 3-Cold cereal, milk 4-Breakfast taco of scrambled egg and cheese wrapped in a tortilla 5-Cold cereal, milk 6-Cold cereal, milk 7-Eggs, toast Lunch 1-PB&J sandwich, grapes 2-Tuna sandwich, orange 3-Cottage cheese and peaches 4-PB&J sandwich, trail mix 5-PB&J sandwich, cheez-it crackers 6-Cheese toast, grapes 7-Tuna sandwich, apple Dinner 1-Pizza, salad of lettuce and orange and grapefruit supremes or sections with Younker's dressing, see recipe on right under dressing. 2-Bean and cheese enchiladas, shredded lettuce salad 3-Grilled or fried pork chops, sauteed zucchini, baked yams, grilled pineapple Use half of the pork loin for chops, the other half for sweet pork salads or burritos 4-White chicken chili, see recipe at right side under chicken. 5-Cheese omelet, steamed or roasted asparagus 6-Sweet pork salad. Cook pork in the crockpot with salsa and brown sugar, serve with tortillas, shredded lettuce, salsa, cheese, sour cream, black beans and rice. Check out http://www.suite101.com/content/pulled-or-shredded-sweet-pork-a53784 or http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html 7-Mac and Cheese, steamed broccoli Groceries: Albertson's Boneless pork loin, $1.77 lb., buy aprox. 4 lbs. at $7.08 Chicken breasts, $1.77 lb, buy 2 lbs. at $3.54 Save $$ and buy a whole chicken at Bashas' for .79 lb. Cook and debone meat from the bird Albertson's cottage cheese, $2.29 Buy 8 deal 1-Albertson's large eggs, .88 2-Albertson's large eggs 3-Kraft deluxe dinner, $1.49 4-Rosarita beans, $1.49 5-Planters trail mix, $1.49 6-Albertson's bread, .99 7-Albertson's Bread, .99 8-Albertson's Bread, .99 1-S&W beans, white, .59 2-S&W beans, white, .59 3-S&W beans, white, .59 4-S&W benas, white, .59 5-S&W beans, black, .59 6-S&W beans, black, .59 7-Life cereal, $1.99 8-Captain Crunch cereal, $1.99 $28.49 Bashas' Tillamook cheese, 3/$5, buy 3 Red Baron Pizza, $2.99 Buy the whole fryer here at .79 lb. if you want to save money Grapes, .74 lb. Iceberg lettuce, .97, buy 2 onions, .67 lb. It says that you need two for the chili, you may want some for the sweet pork, you'll need some grated for the Younker's dressing $11.34 Fry's Mission tortillas, 2/$3, buy 2 Cheez-it crackers, $1.88 Chicken of the Sea tuna, 2/.98, buy 2 Pillsbury Grands!, .98 Las Palmas enchilada sauce, $1.88 La Victoria salsa, $1.88, buy 2 Fry's brand canned peaches, .98 Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.50 Chicken broth, 2 cans, I've allowed for $1.29 ea Sour cream, buy three pints, I've allowed for $1.50 for each one White corn, I've allowed for .89, you need 2 cans, use yellow if white is too expensive diced green chilis, buy 2 cans, I've allowed for .59 ea $25.00 Sprouts Pineapple, .99 ea Navel oranges, .49, buy 7 lbs. at $3.43 Red grapefruit, .49 ea, buy 2 at .98 Broccoli, .99, buy 2 lbs. at $1.98 Zucchini, .99, buy 2 lbs. at $1.98 Organic yams, .99 lb, buy 2 lbs. at $1.98 Gala apples, .99 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.98 $13.32 Items not on grocery list: Mayo butter flour sugar herbs and spices oil vinegar MILK ice cream salad dressing

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Mar. 23-Mar. 29

If you'd rather do chili dogs one night or one day for lunch, buy a can of Hormel chili at Albertson's for $1.25, a pack of buns at Fry's for .99 and a package of Bar S meat franks at Bashas for .99. Milk, milk, milk? Where is the cheap milk this week? As a result of not knowing, I don't have it listed on a grocery list. When I find out, I'll post. I'm assuming that this week most people have kids home on Spring Break, so lunch menus are not as portable this week. You can adapt to fit your family better. Bashas has some great "Day only" specials this week. To get the crusty bread for .98 that I have listed on one of the dinner menus, you will have to get it on Tuesday. Also not on the menu or grocery list, but Asparagus for .99 lb. on Sunday, limit 5 lbs. Not sure if Asparagus freezes well or if it goes to mush. I would guess it goes to mush. And fresh ground chuck, limit 2, for $1.99 lb. on Sat. And killer price for cake mix, Pillsbury cake mix, .59, limit 4 on Monday only. Dulcinea mini seedless watermelons, 2/$4 at Safeway. I had them originally on the menu but took it off b/c the total exceeded $80. Also ground turkey at Safeway, Jenni O ground turkey, Fri.-Mon., Buy One, get one free at $6.29 a package. So if you wanted to switch out the two packs of ground turkey for the 5 # of ground chuck, you could. You would have less meat for the turkey burgers on the lunch menu, but it's your call. You would be getting less quantity but you would be saving $3 or so. Fry's had Tilapia for $3.99 lb. I think that's a good price for Tilapia. Bashas has Smucker's grape jelly for $1.69. If the corn muffin Jiffy mix is also included in the sale at Bashas, you might want to add one of those for enchilada night, it's an option. Not sure why I can't single space the entries that I made this morning but the entries last night are single spaced, so sorry for the inconvenience and if this makes for an 8 page list. The grand total is....
$77.16
Use a Fresh & Easy coupon at Fry's and the total is
$72.16

Breakfast
1-Yogurt, muffins
2-Eggs, bacon, toast
3-cold cereal, hard boiled egg
4-Breakfast tacos
5-Toast
6-Bagels, cream cheese
7-Cold cereal

Lunch
1-Hamburgers
2-Ramen noodles, carrots
3-Pasta salad, Use green onion, lightly steamed broccoli and/or carrots, some tomato if you still have some, with olive oil and lemon juice, or use Kroger salad dressing, either Italian or ranch. strawberries
4-Bologna sandwich, crackers, apple
5-Bologna sandwich, orange
6-Pizza, carrots
7-Ramen noodles

Dinner
1-Fish Tacos, cheese, sour cream, lettuce to accompany
2-Chicken, Rice A Roni, green salad
3-Grilled cheese sandwich, applesauce
4-Hamburger Stroganoff, see recipe under ground beef, either over noodles or mashed potatoes, canned veg.
5-Chicken Enchiladas, salad
6-Polish sausage or keilbasa with pan fried potatoes, some onion for flavor, canned veg., crusty bread
7-Mac & cheese, canned veg.

Dessert:
Ice cream

Grocery List:

Abertson's:

Ground chuck, 5# or more, $1.99 lb., $9.95 for 5#

Chicken drumsticks or thighs, .88 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.52

Albertson's cheese, $1.99

Herdez tortillas, Buy one, get one free, I've allowed, $2.50, buy two packages

Hillshire Farm Polish sausage or Kielbasa, 2/$6, buy 1

Las Palmas enchilada sauce, 2/$4, buy 1

Albertsons sour cream, $1.29

$24.25

Bashas'

Apples, .87 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.74

Strawberries, .97 ea

Bashas large eggs, .88, limit 2, buy 2

Food Club ice cream, $1.99

Bashas also has ground chuck for $1.99 lb. on Saturday ONLY, limit 2 packs.

Idaho potatoes, 5# bag, .97 ea.

Farmland Bacon, $2.99

Bar S Bologna, .99

Jiffy muffin mix, 2/$1, buy 1 at .50

Food Club canned vegetables, 2/$1, buy 3 cans

Food Club mac & cheese mix, 2/$1, buy 2

Maruchan Ramen noodles, .18, buy 4

Motts applesauce, 4/$5, buy 1

Lemons, 3/$1, buy one at .33 It's used in the hamburger stroganoff recipe

Basha's crusty bread, .98 on Tues. only

$18.68

Fry's

Buy ten deal

1-Tombstone Pizz, $2.49

2-Van de Camps fish, $2.99

3-Kraft Salad dressing, $1.49

4-Kraft American singles cheese, $1.49

5-American Beauty Pasta, .49 For pasta salad

6-American Beauty Pasta, .49For Hamburger Stroganoff night

7-Rice A Roni, .79

8-rice A Roni, .79

9-Dannon yogurt, $1.49

10-Ritz/wheat thins crackers, $1.99

Tomatoes on the vine, .99 lb.

General Mills cereal, $1.88

Kroger Bagels, .99

Kroger cream cheese, .99 This is a good price to get a few cream cheeses ahead. They last, unopened in the fridge for six months or longer. Great to have on hand for cheesecake pie if you need an easy company dessert.

Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4, you may be able to get away with less this week

English cucumber, .99

Lettuce, I've allowed $2.00

Hamburger buns, .99

$25.86 Use the $5 off of a $25 purchase from Fresh & Easy's Wed. paper insert, and the total is $20.86

Safeway

White mushrooms, .99

Fri.-Mon., oranges, .39 lb., buy 5 lbs. at $1.95

Broccoli, .99 lb.

Baby carrots, .99

$4.92

Sprouts

Onions, .49 lb.

Green onions, .49 For the salads or garnish for the chicken enchiladas

Radishes, .49

Broccoli is also .99 lb. here so if you want to buy it here, go ahead

$2.46

Items not on grocery list:

butter

mayonnaise

herbs and spices

MILK

sugar

flour

olive oil

veg. oil

condiments for hamburgers

Maple Salmon

Maple Salmon

1/4 C. maple syrup
2 T. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. salmon

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and mariate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Budget menu with what's on sale for the week of Mar. 16-Mar. 22

If you want to try the salmon recipe below, then Albertson's has Atlantic farm raised salmon for $6.99/lb. this week. I also want to post a recipe that I found for maple glazed salmon.

Total $79.48
If you use the $5 off of $25 purchase coupon that Fresh and Easy had in Wed. paper at Fry's, then it will be:
$74.48

Breakfast
1-Oatmeal, juice
2-Oatmeal, juice
3-Cinnamon Toast
4-Eggs, bacon, toast
5-Oatmeal, Cantaloupe chunks
6-Oatmeal, juice
7-French toast, juice

Lunch
1-Bologna sandwich, clementine, celery sticks
2-Tuna sandwich, grapes, crackers
3-Bologna sandwich, crackers, Capri Sun
4-Tuna sandwich, clementine, Capri Sun
5-Egg salad sandwich, apple, celery
6-Leftover Minestrone, grilled cheese sandwich
7-Macaroni and cheese

Dinner
1-Minestrone soup
2-Fish sticks, roasted yam fries, vegetable
3-Hot dogs, Coke
4-Chicken with Philadelphia cooking creme sauce and pasta, green salad. Use some steamed asparagus chunks, sauteed mushrooms, red pepper dices and onion dices sauteed til soft if desired.
5-Fried Rice with cooked diced bacon, egg if desired, some green onion, leftover mushrooms or vegs, if desired. Egg rolls.
6-Salad with baked chicken slices or shreds, hard boiled eggs, tomato, cooked bacon if any is left, some steamed asparagus if any left.
7-Leftovers

Albertson's
Spinach, $1 ea
Yams, $1 lb., buy 3 lbs.
$4.00

Bashas
Chicken breasts, .88 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.64
Fresh green beans, buy 1/2 to full lb. at .99 lb.
Red or green grapes, .74 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Bumble Bee tuna, .49, buy 4
Bush's beans, .49, buy 2 I would only use one can of beans in the minestrone if I were in the mood to add beans, so adapt it for your family.
Tyson Bacon, 2.99
Green onions, .59 each
Yellow onions, .69 lb.
Milk, I've allowed $2.99/gallon, buy 2 gallons
red pepper, .79 ea
Mushrooms, .99 ea
Asparagus, $1.88 lb.
$21.98

Fry's
Fry's accepting competitor's coupons, use Fresh & Easy $5 off $25 purchase, found in Wed. paper
Buy 10 deal
1-Capri Suns juice, $1.49
2-Birdseye vegs, $1.49
3-Coke, .79
4-Coke, .79
5-Annies Mac&Cheese, .49
6-Annies Mac&Cheese
7-Van de Kamps fish, $2.99
8-Sunny D juice, .89
9-Sunny D juice
10-Ritz or wheat thins, $1.99
1-Del Monte tomatoes, .69
2-American Beauty pasta, .49 (make one shell pasta, the other a fettucini possibly)
3-American Beauty pasta
4-Kraft singles, $1.49
5-Country Crock spread, $1.29
6-Chungs egg rolls, $2.49
7-Philadelphia cooking creme, $1.99
8-Kraft Mayo, $2.49
9-Oscar Mayer bologna, $1.99
10-Oscar Mayer franks, $1.99

Cantaloupe, .99 ea
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4
Eggs, I've allowed $1.59, buy 2
Vegetable broth, .99/can, buy 2 cans
lettuce, I've allowed $1.50
Rice, I've allowed, $2.99
zucchini, I've allowed .99 for one
Hot dog buns, I've allowed $1.50
$44.35
$39.35 with F&E coup

Sprouts
Clementines, 3# bag for $1.88
Apples, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Roma tomatoes, .99 lb., buy 2 lbs.
bulk oats, .69 lb, buy 4 lbs.
celery, .99 ea
$9.15

Items not on list:
flour
sugar
pickle relish
olive or veg. oil
salad dressing
syrup or powdered sugar for french toast
spices and herbs
cinnamon
hot dog condiments
soy sauce

Baked Salmon

I found this today while looking for a recipe for Salmon that the husband could use for a catering tonight. He brought some home and while I am not a huge fish loving person, I thought that this was really good. Costco sells a frozen Basil/Pesto Tilapia that is yummy, my kids beg me to get it. I think that this marinade is close to that taste and that it would be good on tilapia or other fish that you like as well as the Salmon.

Baked Salmon II
from Allrecipes.com

2 cloves garlic, minced
6 T. light olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 (6 ounce) fillets salmon

In a medium bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Drumroll please.............

The mail finally came on Friday at 5:30p.m. and we were all beside ourselves. My son is going to the .........................................Honduras San Pedro Sula Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Mar. 9-Mar. 15

I want so desperately to get this budget menu for the week out on Wednesday this week. We are speculating that sonny boy will get his mission call on Thursday of this week, as in TOMORROW. I know that doing a budget menu after that will be futile. I am expecting to be a mush of excitement, hysteria and nerves, all rolled together in one.

After just looking at the ads briefly this a.m., I concluded that if you could only make it to one store this week, then that store should be Bashas'. At least for produce. Safeway and Albies come in a close second. Safeway for their broccoli, 2 lbs./$1 and whole chicken for .89 lb. Albertson's for their ground beef at $1.77/lb. and their brand canned tuna at .50 can and Jennie O turkey breast at $4.99/lb. If you hate salmon patties, as do I, then use the rest of the hamburger for hamburger patties and either eat them plain or buy some buns to go with it. Omit the crusty bread if you opt for hamburger buns.

Today starts the Lenten season which means a few things in the grocery world. It means that good prices on canned tuna and fresh fish, peanut butter and mac & cheese mixes and sometimes even Mayo and prepared tartar sauces will prevale in the next 40 days. It might be a good time to stock up on canned seafood. I usually have a couple of meatless menus per week so that shouldn't be a problem if you are observing Lent.

Not to be a gloom and doom girl but I have been thinking lately that it is a good time to take inventory of my pantry and food storage and add to it accordingly. And by add to it, I mean, get it complete by the end of the month. Overwhelming thought but I need to just suck it up and do it. With gas prices soaring upward and talk of skyrocketing food prices in the near future due to crop failures, I can't help but think that I will be needing to depend on my pantry and my food storage soon. Might be a good time to add some extra canned goods, flour and sugar (or mixes if you don't bake from scratch. You might want to get some bread mixes. If you couldn't buy bread at the store, what would you do?), toilet paper and other neccesities to your cabinets.

$77.57

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, cantaloupe chunks
2-Oatmeal
3-Cold cereal, milk
4-Oatmeal, strawberries
5-Cold cereal, milk
6-Toast, grapefruit
7-Cold cereal, milk

Lunch
1-Turkey sandwich, apple, hard boiled egg
2-PB&J sandwich, Strawberries
3-Chicken salad sandwich, orange
4-Turkey sandwich, grapes
5-Tuna sandwich, apple, carrots
6-PB&J sandwich, orange
7-Tuna sandwich, grapes, carrots

Dinner
1-Roast chicken, rice, Broccoli salad (right side, under salads)
2-Spaghetti, sauce, crusty bread
3-Gorton's fish, tator tots, vegetable
4-Chili
5-Corned beef/cabbage/bacon, Irish soda bread(both recipes on right side under corned beef)
6-Salmon Patties, vegetables, crusty bread
7-Bashas cheese pizza

Albertsons
Albertson's chunk light tuna, 2/$1, buy 3
General Mills cinnamon toast crunch or other select cereals, $1.49 ea when you use coupon in Wed. ad, buy 3 at $4.47
Ground beef, $1.77 lb. in 3# chub at $5.31
Large cantaloup, $1 ea
Demings skinless and boneless canned Pink Salmon, .99, buy 2
Jennio O Blue Ribbon turkey breast, $4.99 lb., buy 1 lb.
or if you'd rather, Kretschmar Ham
$18.75

Bashas'
Bar A Bacon, $1.99
Food Club cheese, 2/$3, $1.50
Bashas 16 inch Pizza, $4.99
Crusty bread, $1.29, buy 2
Food Club pasta, .89
Food Club oats, .99
Strawberries, $1.19, first 4, buy 1
Oranges, .49 lb., buy 3 at $1.47
Texas grapefruit, .49 ea, buy 2
Food Club tator tots, I've allowed, $2.99
Chili seasoning pouch, I've allowed, $1.00
Rice, I've allowed $1.99
Eggs, I've allowed, $1.39
$27.93

Fry's
Red seedless grapes, .75 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.25
Kroger mini carrots, .88 ea
Fry's milk, 50% off, I think it's $1.74, buy 2 at $3.48
Gortons fish, $3.99
Canned corned beef, I've allowed for $2.99
Cabbage, 4 lbs./$1
If you wanted to make Colcannon for St. Patrick's Day dinner, then add to the total, $2.50 for a bag of red potatoes at Fry's. The recipe for Colcannon is at the right under Corned beef.
Fry's or Kroger tomatoes or beans, 5/$3, buy 2 tomatoes and 2 beans
Kroger spaghetti sauce, $1.19
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4
Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.49
$23.19

Safeway
Sanderson Farms whole chicken, .89 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.56
Broccoli, 2 lbs./41
Gala apples, .88 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.64
$7.20

Items not on grocery list:
butter
jelly
sugar
flour
leavenings like baking soda or baking powder
herbs and spices
ingredients for soda bread
Mayo or Miracle whip for dressing for broccoli salad
vinegar
oil
cracker or bread crumbs for the salmon patties
onion, if desired for salmon patties