Menu with what's on sale for the week of June 29-July 5

Lots of bang for your buck this week. And I didn't mean that to be a play on words for Fourth of July weekend. Just a happy coincidence. If I had to tell you only one store to go to this week, I couldn't because both Bashas' and Fry's are offering some killer deals this week. Plums are on sale if you like plums, for 77 lb. at Fry's. Hebrew national beef franks at Fry's for $1.99, Bush's grillin beans for $1.67 at Fry's, Kroger Value sugar for $1.99 if you're planning on baking cookies at Fry's as well. Cool whip topping at Albertson's for .75 and Kraft Mayonnaise for $2.99 at Albertson's and Loin back ribs for buy 1, get 2 free which usually run $5.99 lb. So in terms of "racks", i don't know what all of that means, the ribs are at Albertson's, by the way. If you wanted to do BBQ ribs on the leftover night, you totally could. When I find out how much the 3 packs of ribs will run you, I will let you know. Bashas' bottles of water cases are on sale for $1.99 this week on Fri., Sat., Sun. and Mon. only. If your mornings are rushed and crazy, you might want to make the muffins the night before while making dinner and then put them away so that no one eats them before breakfast. You could do the same for the egg biscuits. Either make the eggs and biscuits and put them away separately to reheat and assemble in the morning or assemble the night before and reheat briefly in the microwave in the morning. Or you could make the biscuits the night before, then make the eggs in the microwave that morning. I put one egg in a microwave safe cereal bowl, then microwave for 30 secs., put in for a tinch longer if needed, then put it on the muffin or biscuit. It comes out like a little omelett if you don't scramble it.

$76.12

Breakfast
1-Egg/cheese biscuit, Tang
2-Cold cereal, milk, Tang
3-Muffins, Tang
4-Cold cereal, milk, bananas, Tang
5-Egg/cheese biscuit
6-Cold cereal, milk
7-Muffins

Lunch
1-Chef Boy R Dee Ravioli or pasta, orange
2-Bologna sandwich, watermelon wedge
3-Bologna sandwich, strawberries, Country Time Lemonade
4-Chicken sandwich from leftover chicken, watermelon wedge
5-Bologna sandwich, Potato chips, peach
6-Pasta Salad, mango chunks, Country Time Lemonade
7-Hamburgers, buns, Fritos or cheetos, orange

Dinner
1-Hamburgers, buns, Potato chips, dip made from sour cream and garlic salt and a little dehydrated onion or chives if you have it, add a little water if you want it creamier. Or use ranch dressing. Pasta salad, Country Time Lemonade
2-Vegetable Lasagna, made with Ragu Alfredo sauce, boiled lasagna noodles, sauteed mushrooms, steamed broccoli or zucchini, cheese on top.
3-Hot dogs, buns, Pork and Beans or baked beans, Country Time Lemonade
4-BBQ chicken tenders or boneless/skinless breasts, Green salad, corn on the cob, Country Time Lemonade
5-Pizza, jello, soda
6-Taco salad with sour cream and salsa, taco seasoned ground beef and grated cheese
7-Leftovers

Dessert:
Watermelon
Brownies
Ice Cream

Groceries
Albertson's
Jello gelatin, .75
Bologna, 10/$10, buy 2
Albertson's milk, $1.79, buy 2, limit 2 at $3.58
Van Cmps beans, 2/$1, buy 1
$6.33

Bashas':
Ground beef, $1.87 lb., with 5# or more purchase, 5# for $9.35 on Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only
Lay's Potato Chips, $1.77, Fri., Sat., Sun. and Mon. only
Dreyers ice cream, 2/$5, buy 1, Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only
Sweet corn, .19 ea, buy 4 at .76
Whole seedless watermelon, .15 lb., buy 10# at $1.50
Bananas, .47 lb., buy 3 lbs.
Betty Crocker Brownie mix, 2/$3.00, buy 1
Romaine, .99
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.39 a dozen, buy 2 doz.
Food Club Lasagna noodles, $1.99
Bashas' Hot dog buns, 4/$5, buy 1 at $1.25
Bashas' Hamburger buns, 4/$5, buy 2
Bashas' sour cream, $1.88
Food Club salsa, $1.99
$32.17

Fry's
Buy 10 deal
1-Ragu alfredo sauce, $1.28
2-Fritos or Cheetos, $1.69
3-Ceneral Mills cereal, $2.19
4-General Mills cereal, $2.19
5-General Mills cereal, $2.19
6-Pillsbury Grands, .99
7-Pillsbury Grands, .99
8-Betty Crocker brownie mix, $1.69
9-Betty crocker muffin mix, $1.69
10-Betty Crocker muffin mix, $1.69
1-Country Crock margerine, $2.39
2-Kraft BBQ sauce, .69
3-Kool-Aid, Country Time lemonade , .99
4-Tang, .99
5-Chef Boy R dee ravioli, .69
6-Chef Boy R Dee ravioli, .69
7-Oscar Mayer weiners, $1.49
8-Totinos Pizza, .99
9-Totinos Pizza, .99
10-Totinos Pizza, .99

Strawberries, .77
Mangoes, 3/$1, buy 3
Roma tomatoes, .77 lb.
Peaches, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Coke, .89
Kroger salad dressing, .99
Kroger cheese, 2/$3, buy 2
Kroger Value boneless/skinless chicken breasts/tenderloins, $1.67 lb, buy 3 lbs.
Suddenly Salad, 2/$3, buy 2
Cucumbers, 2/$1, buy 1
White mushrooms, 2/$3
navel oranges, 4# bag, 2/$5, buy 1
Bread, .88, buy 3
Broccoli or zucchini for the vegetable lasagna, I've allowed for $2.00 lb, buy 1 lb.
Taco seasoning, I've allowed for .99
$37.62

Items not listed:
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Ketchup
Relish
onions
flour
sugar
oil
herbs and spices
salt and pepper

4th of July BBQ for $30

Or there abouts. Feed 15 people for aproximately $30.

Menu

Hamburgers
Buns
Corn on the cob
Watermelon wedges
Potato Chips
Lemonade
Brownies ala mode
$27.47

Add a strawberry Jello/Whipped cream salad for $3.02
for a total of $30.49

Strawberry Jello/Whipped cream salad
Sliced strawberries (Fry's, .77)
Jello, 6 oz. (Albertson's, .75)
1 1/2 C. hot water
Cool whip, two tubs (Albertson's, .75 ea, $1.50 total)
2 C. vanilla ice cream (Dreyer's ice cream, already have some for brownies ala mode, Basha's, 2/$2.50)

Add hot water to Jello and mix until dissolved. Add 2 C. of vanilla ice cream and stir. Fold in or gently whisk in the Cool Whip after the water has cooled down. Add strawberries, chill for 3-4 hrs. Keep inside or on ice in this heat.

Groceries:
Gr. beef, $1.87 for 5# purchase. $9.35 for 5#. Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only, Bashas'
Hamburger buns, 4/$5, buy 2 at $2.50, Bashas'
Sweet corn, .19 ea, buy 15 for a total of $2.85, Bashas'
Watermelon, .15 lb., buy 10# for a total of $1.50, Bashas'
Lay's potato chips, $1.77, Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only, Bashas'
Country Time Lemonade, $1.50, Bashas'
Betty Crocker brownie mix, $1.50, Bashas'
Dreyers ice cream, 2/$5, buy 2, Bashas'

If you choose to make the Strawberry Jello Salad:
Strawberries, .77, Fry's or .89 at Bashas' Fri., Sat., Sun., or Mon. only if you don't want to make a trip to Fry's just for strawberries, add .12 to your total
Strawberry Jello, .75, Albertson's
Cool Whip, .75, buy 2, Albertson's
Ice cream, use 2 cups out of the ice cream that you got for the brownies ala mode

Items not on the grocery list:
hamburger condiments and lettuce and tomatoes for the hamburgers

What are you planning on for dinner for the Fourth?

Menu with what's on sale for the week of June 22-June 28

Really great prices on some fruits and vegetables this week. I didn't notice any ads for milk except at Albertson's and it wasn't all that great so unless I get out to the store(s) soon and get a price for you, the milk price is just a guesstimate. If you want to add ice cream to the list, Albertson's has Polar Treats Ice Cream or Sherbet for $1.99. Also, if you didn't want to have baked potatoes with leftover taco soup over them one night, add a Kielbasa at Fry's for $3 and have fried potatoes with sausage or Kielbasa chunks or coins. A little bit of onion added to that....mmmmmmm, mmmmm good. I had blueberries on the list originally to have fresh blueberry pancakes but had to cut costs somewhere. I think that Food Club pancake mix might come with a blueberry pancake mix option but if you want the fresh berries, the best price for blueberris this week was at Bashas' for $1.87. If you want to add gelatin to a meal or pudding for a dessert, Albertson's had Jell-O brand for 4/$5 this week. I don't like Tuna casserole but if you do, then this week would be a good week to have it when both pasta and tuna are on sale at Bashas' for .50. Food Club potato chips are also a great price at Bashas' this week at $1.69 but I had to drop them to keep costs down. Bush's Grillin Beans, 3/$5 if you wanted another accompaniament to the Hamburger meal.

$79.66

Breakfast
1-Pancakes
2-Cold cereal/milk, bananas
3-French toast
4-Cold cereal/milk
5-Pancakes, juice
6-Cold cereal/milk, juice
7-Cold cereal/milk

Lunch
1-Tuna sandwich, peach, peanut butter cookies
2-PB&J sandwich, cantaloupe chunks
3-Tuna sandwich, apple
4-Lunchmeat sandwich, orange
5-PB&J sandwich, Plum
6-Tuna sandwich, cucumber slices
7-Macaroni and cheese

Dinner
1-Pizza, salad, soda
2-Baked chicken breast with a slice of ham and some grated cheese broiled on top, leftover salad, mashed potatoes with butter, vegetable
3-Spaghetti and meatballs, vegetable
4-Chicken stir fry with onions, peppers, zucchini and leftover vegetables if desired
5-Taco soup with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese as toppings. See recipe under soup
6-Hamburgers with buns, sliced tomatoes, condiments, potato salad, cantaloupe chunks
7-Baked potatoes with leftover taco soup over them

Desserts:
Homemade peanut butter cookies
Peach/Raspberry crisp

Groceries:
Albertson's
Albertson's cereal with coup from ad, .99, buy 3 at $2.97
Albertson's peanut butter with coupon from ad, .99, limit two, buy 1
Doritos Tortilla chips, $1.88 each, with coup from ad, limit 2, buy 1
Albertson's Macaroni and Cheese, .39 ea with coup from ad, limit 4, buy 2
Albertson's hamburger buns, .77 ea
Chicken breast, $1.67 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.01
Albertson's sour cream, 4/$5
Russet Potatoes, 10# bag, $3.99
$17.64

Bashas'
Ground round, $1.87 lb. in value pack, assuming it's 5 lbs. it will be $9.35
Food Club canned vegetables, 2/$1, buy 3 at $1.50. One needs to be corn for the Taco soup, the other two can be your choice to accompany other meals
Food Club tomatoes, 2/$1, buy 2
Food Club pasta, 2/$1, buy 1
chicken of the Sea tuna, 2/$1, buy 4 cans
Fiesta soda, .69
Food Club Pancake mix, $1.99
Food Club syrup, $1.99
Hunt's pasta sauce, .99
Bush's beans, .69 I like black beans in the Taco soup but it's up to you
Red Baron Pizza, 3/$10, buy 1
Old Orchard frozen concentrate juice, 3/$5, buy 1
Romaine, .97
Bananas, .47 lb, buy 2 lbs. at .94
$27.60

Fry's
Raspberries, .98 ea
Kroger cheese, 2/$3, buy 1
Kroger butter, 2/$5, buy 1
land O'Frost lunch meat, 2/$5, make it ham if you want to top the chicken breast meal with ham and cheese.
Kroger Value Bread, .88, buy 4
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.69, 1 doz
Milk, I've allowed for $2.50, buy 2 at $5
Taco seasoning, I've allowed for .99, buy 1
Tomato sauce, 8 oz. cans, I've allowed for .50 ea, buy 2 at $1
$19.68

Sprouts
Peaches, .49 lb, buy 5 lbs. at $2.45
Roma tomatoes, .49, buy 2 lbs.
Red Bell Peppers, .49 ea
Cucumbers, .49 ea, buy 2
Onions, .49 lb.
Cantaloupe, .77 ea
Celery, .77 ea
Zucchini, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Oranges, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Fuji apples, .99 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.97
Plums, .88 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.76
$14.74

Items not on list:
Mayonnaise
sugar
brown sugar
flour
oats
spices/dried herbs
salt and pepper
jelly
leavenings, such as baking powder, baking soda, yeast, etc.
condiments for the hamburgers, such as ketchup, mustard, relish
salad dressings
oil or olive oil
vinegar
bread crumbs, make them from the Kroger Value bread
ice cream if you want it over your warm peach raspberry crisp, yum

Cherry Cobbler

This is a recipe that I took back home with me from Idaho a week ago. I just made it today, it's so yummy. Would be great to make for Father's day.

Cherry Cobbler
from Becky and Mike who got it from Nora

2 cans of cherry pie filling
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter or margerine

Empty the cherry pie filling into a 9x13 baking dish. Microwave the butter in a big bowl until melted. Add the cake mix and mix well. Add the crumb mixture to the top of the cherries. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 until bubbly and golden or light brown.

Menu with what's on sale for the week of June 15-June 21

Well, finally, back to it. We were in Idaho the beginning of June and then when I got back I didn't have the Wednesday ads.

A few things. I came out at $82.04 this week. You can get it down to $80.16 if you omit buying the Wheat thins. Fry's has Keebler Chips Deluxe cookies for $2.69 and Safeway has Oreos for $1.99 if you wanted a sweet treat to put in the lunches this week. I allowed over $5 for pork chops for one night. If you wanted to instead buy the Foster Farms mini or regular corn dogs at Fry's, for $4.99 you could. Just depends on rather your family would like corn dogs or pork chops better. You can also make the menu cheaper by omitting the almonds in the strawberry Almond salad. Or you may already have cashews, pecans or almonds at home that you can use.

So with that said/written, here we go.

I realized after doing this that I had used the Sprouts ad for the week before. So if this goofed anyone up, I sincerely apologize. The old list had watermelon on it, the new one doesn't. I am fixing it now.

$82.04

Breakfast
1-Breakfast tacos with tortillas, sausage links crumbled up, eggs, a little cheese
2-Cold cereal, milk, banana
3-Yogurt, blueberries
4-Cold cereal, milk, cantaloupe chunks
5-Egg muffin
6-Cold cereal, milk
7-Eggs, bacon, toast

Lunch
1-Ham sandwich, apple
2-PB&J sandwich, orange, wheat thins
3-Ham sandwich
4-PB&J sandwich, grapes
5-Grilled ham and cheese sandwich, cantaloupe chunks
6-Cottage cheese and apricots, wheat thins
7-Pizza, red pepper strips and cucumber slices, 7-Up

Dinner
1-Strawberry Almond Salad with a sweet vinaigrette(add poppy seeds if you like and have them), french bread and butter
2-Spaghetti with red sauce or Spaghetti Alfredo, sauteed zucchini
3-Chicken thighs, frozen vegetable of choice, deviled eggs, corn on the cob
4-Pasta salad using red pepper, leftover vegs., olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. French bread or garlic toast.
5-Pork chops (or corn dogs), applesauce, frozen vegetable of choice
6-Chicken Caesar salad using leftover chicken, leftover french bread made into croutons(dice bread, toss with some olive oil on a sheet pan and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, watch closely), caesar dressing and parmesan cheese
7-Leftovers

Dessert
Strawberries over yellow cake

Groceries:
Albertsons
7-Up, .77 with coupon from paper
Albertsons eggs, .77 with coupon from paper, limit two, buy 2
Kelloggs cereal, $1.88
American Beauty Pasta, .99, buy 2, one for spaghetti or fettucini and another for pasta salad
Ragu sauce, red or alfredo, .99
Cantaloupe, .88 with coupon from paper
Albertsons margerine, $1
Albertsons lowfat yogurt, 2/$4, buy 1
Albertsons chredded cheese, $1.99
Bar S deli style ham, $3.49
Farmer John sausage links, 4/$5, buy 1
Leaf lettuce, green leaf or romaine, .99, buy 2, one for caesar salad, so buy a romaine
Pork chops, $1.88 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.64
$25.39

Bashas
Chicken thighs, .87 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.61
Red seedless grapes, .69 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.38
Apricots, .95 lb.
Farmland bacon, 2/$5, buy 1 lb.
Betty crocker cake mix, .99
Mott's applesauce, $1.79
Bashas cottage cheese, $1.99
Bananas, .55 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Sweet corn, 2/$1, buy 4 ears
$17.33

Fry's
Fry's milk, 1/2 gallon, .88, buy 4, limit 4
Wheat thins, $1.88
Kroger frozen Vegetables, .97, buy 2
Red Baron Pizza, $3.49
French bread, 2/$3, buy 2
Fry's flour tortillas, 3/$5, buy 1 at $1.66
Almonds, I've allowed for $3
Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.50
Caesar dressing, I've allowed for $2.99
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4 loaves at $3.52
$26.50

Sprouts
Blueberries, $1.47
Strawberries, 1.99, buy 2 (evaluate your needs, you may need to buy 3 cartons of strawberries at 1.99 more)
cucumbers, .49
Red bell peppers, .49
Italian squash, .77 lb. (zucchini)
vin ripe tomatoes, .77 lb.
Braeburn apples, .99 lb., buy 2 lbs.
navel oranges, .99 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Oats, .79 lb., buy 1 lb.
$12.76

Items not on grocery list
Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
jelly
spices/herbs
salt and pepper
veg or olive oil
vinegar
lemon juice
parmesan cheese
mustard
sugar
flour

Feta Spinach stuffed Flank Steak

We love this. Not sure exactly how to describe the fileting of the flank steak without pictures. Maybe I will have to buy one and make it for dinner this week to show you. Butterflying the meat is a little tricky and you need to be extremely careful. If you bought a thin enough flank steak, the butterflying step could be omitted. You may be able to only need one flank steak for 4 people but we love it so much that we need two. Leftovers get put away and get snacked on for breakfast and lunch, and never seem to make it to the next dinner.

Feta and Spinach stuffed Flank Steak

2 flank steaks, reasonably thick.
fresh baby spinach leaves
crumbled feta
olive oil
salt and pepper

First of all I take the flank steak and position it in front of me on a cutting board so the the grain of the meat is verticle in front of me. I then make a slit with a sharp knife in the middle going from top to bottom and not slicing through the meat to the board. Then I make cuts to open up the left side of the meat, you are butterflying it open. I then do the same with the right side until I have three times as much space covered on the board than when I started. If you have a few holes, it's okay, this is incredibly forgiving, just smush it all together so that the holes aren't obvious. Salt and pepper, add a couple of hand fulls of spinch, had a liberal coating of cheese and then roll up, jelly roll style being sure that the grain runs long so that when you cut the meat that you are cutting against the grain and not with it. Sprinkle with olive oil, more salt and pepper. Cook at 350 and check at 30 minutes. It's done when the meat has started to get a gorgeous light but brown crust on it. You want it to be pink inside. Let the meat rest for about ten minutes, then slice against the grain. If you want, you can serve a beef gravy on top.

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Apr. 27-May 3

I've been a little overwhelmed mentally and physically lately. So, sorry, I've not been attending to the blog the way that I should. It is late in the shopping week for a post, but better late than never?

$77.69

Breakfast
1-Bagels/cream cheese
2-Breakfast tacos with chorizo and eggs
3-Oatmeal
4-French toast with crusty french bread, strawberries and bacon
5-Egg Mc Muffin, banana
6-Oatmeal
7-Cinnamon rolls, cantaloupe chunks

Lunch
1-Ham sandwich, carrots
2-PB&J sandwich, orange
3-Ham sandwich, apple wedges
4-PB&J sandwich, grapes
5-Ham sandwich, cantaloups chunks
6-Lettuce salad with hard boiled eggs and bacon crumbles or with leftover taco meat.
7-Suddenly Salad pasta salad

Dinner
1-Hamburgers, potato salad
2-Chicken, Rice A Roni, cauliflower
3-Chicken enchiladas, green salad, watermelon chunks
4-Meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed zucchini coins
5-Tacos, spanish rice
6-Leftovers
7-Stuffed pepper halves with Rice A Roni, cucumber wedges, applesauce and french bread

Groceries:
Albertson's
Fresh express salad, $1
4 count cinnamon rolls, $1
Suddenly Salad past salad mix, $1
Hamburger rolls, $1
Don Pancho tortilla, $1, you may need two packs, I don't know how many are in one
large cantaloupe, $1 ea
Pork chorizo, $1
Smithfield bacon, $3.99
Old El Paso taco easoning, .69
Old El Paso taco shells, $1, buy 1
Old El Paso enchilada sauce, 2/$3 buy 1
Old El Paso Spanish Rice mix, $1
Old El Paso taco shells, $1
Albertson's eggs, with coupon, .88, limit 2, buy 2
Ground chuck with 5 lbs. purchase, $2.19 lb., buy 5 lbs.
Iceberg, .49 ea, with coup
French bread, .99 with coupon, limit 2, buy 2
$37.06

Bashas'
Strawberries, .95, buy 2
Chicken, .69 lb., value pack, 5 lbs. would be $3.45
green bell peppers, 2/$1, buy 2
American Chef lunchmeat, 2/$5, buy 1
Rice A Roni, 10/$10, buy 2
Bashas English muffins, $1.99
Mott's apple sauce, 2/$4, buy 1
Oats, $1.79
Watermelon, .17 lb., aprox. $1
Bananas, .49 lb, buy 2 lbs.
onions, .69 lb., buy 1
$19.08

Fry's
Taking all competitor's coups, use fresh and Easy coup if you have $30 worth of stuff, also there is an Albertson's $10 off of $100

Naval oranges, 3 lbs./.99
Red grapes, .79 lb, buy 2 lbs.
Kroger bagels, 10/$10, buy 1
Kroger cream cheese, 10/$10, buy 1
Kroger cheese, $3.29
Red Potatoes, 2 lbs./.99, buy 4 lbs. at $1.98
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4
Kroger Value Peanut butter, $1.49
$14.85

Sprouts
Cucumber, .49 ea
green onions, .49 ea
Italian squash, .77 lb.
carrots, .99
Cauliflower, .99 lb, buy 2 lbs.
Gala apples, .99 lb., buy 2 lbs.
$6.70

Items not on grocery lists:
Mayonnaise
sour cream
salad dressing
oil
sugar
flour
butter
herbs/spices
MILK
Jelly
hamburger condiments