Menus for what's on sale July 22-July 28

Need some inspiration for what to serve for meals this week? Or need a plan more than inspiration to keep within a limited budget? I worked up a week's menu with what's on sale this week at Arizona grocery stores. I came up with $65.31 for three meals a day, seven days a week. If you use coupons from the Sunday Newspaper coupon inserts, you should be able to save $3.29 on this total. We are a family of four, 2 adults, 2 teens, so that's what I base the portions on. You may be able to use these portions for a family of six and more if only a few more items are adapted or the list is tweaked to your family. I've just listed ideas, not days to be served so that you can adapt best to your schedule and family.

Breakfast

1-Bagels, cream cheese
2-Cold Cereal, Smoothie
3-Cold Cereal
4-Eggs, toast
5-Cold Cereal, Smoothie
6-Cold Cereal
7-Cold Cereal
(If you would rather have pancakes for some of the mornings, buy Food Club pancake mix and Food Club syrup at Bashas for $3.76)

Lunch

1-PB&J sandwich, pretzels, brownie
2-Ramen noodles, cherries
3-PB&J sandwich, Cheez-its crackers
4-PB&J sandwich, plums
5-Individual pizzas, soda pop, brownie
6-Bagels, cream cheese, bottled fruit
7-Ramen noodles, Cheez-its crackers

Dinner
1-Hot dogs, Potato chips

2-Spaghetti and sauce, green salad, hopefully you got free Kraft salad dressing last week to use on this salad, garlic toast.

3-Zatarain's rice, canned vegetable of choice, garlic toast(use leftovers from dinner idea #2). Top the rice with shredded cheese if desired.

4-Hamburgers. Grilled peaches for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top or make a delicious fresh peach cobbler or crisp.

5-Chicken, broccoli, red pepper stir fry with cooked Ramen noodles. You can use some of the broth if you'd like and thicken it with a slurry or you can season the vegs and meat with some soy sauce and a little brown sugar. If the package of chicken is more than you need for your family for stir fry, then freeze the rest for a meal next week.

6-Bacon sandwiches. If you have any brownies left, serve Brownies ala mode for dessert.

7-Grilled Sirloin and zucchini teriyaki marinated shish kabobs, canned vegetable of you choice.(Be sure and soak the skewers if you are using the wooden ones before putting the meat and vegs on.)

NOTE: I usually do not include in the grocery list that I make condiments like mayonnaise or jelly, mustard, relish, ketchup unless they are free or a great price with a coupon that week. I also do not include mayo or jelly or condiments each week because a family will rarely go through those items all in one week. And I only have allowed for one gallon of milk this week. Most families will need much more than this.

Here is a Grocery List for this week.
I know what you're thinking. "I don't want to have to drag 5 kids in and out of 4 different stores this week." Your choice, not forcing you to do anything that you don't want to do and granted certain families may have a harder time with this than others. But I am letting you know what options are available this week.

Fresh & Easy
Ground beef, $1.49 lb., packed in 2 lb. packages for $2.98, buy one
Hot dog buns, .88
Hamburger buns, .88
Fresh & Easy braided wheat pretzels, $1.59

Albertsons
Albertsons milk, $1.39 The total allows for one gallon, buy more if you need to but add it in your total so there's no surprises at check out.
Bing cherries, $1.97 lb.
Hunt's spaghetti sauce, remember the flier that you got in your Wed. paper? Well, go get it, there is a coupon for the sauce which will make it .77 (There may be more fliers at CS at Albies)
Fresh Express bagged salad, with Wed. coupon, .77, buy 2 bags
Yellow squash or zucchini, .97 lb.
Red pepper, .99 each

Bashas'
Valu Time vanilla ice cream, .99 with the Shocker! coupon in Wed.'s Bashas' ad, also $10 additional purchase
Food Club Potato or Kettle chips, .99 with Shocker! coupon in Wed's ad, also $10 additional purchase
Bar S meat franks, .99
Hormel Bacon, $2.88
Malt O Meal cereal. Buy 2 bags, get one free, coupon in Wed. ad, aprox. $6.00 for 3 bags
Maruchan Ramen noodles, 6/$1, buy six
American Beauty pasta, 10/$10, buy one package
Broccoli, .99 lb.
Stokely's canned vegetables, .79, buy 2 cans
Boneless top sirloin, $1.99 lb., buy 2 lbs.

NOTE: Other killer Bashas' deals this week that I have not put on the list are Cook's ham for .99 lb. I was at Bashas earlier this evening and they have them packaged in quantities for $8 or $9. My Bashas also had Food Club salted butter for .99.

Fry's
10 item mega event
1-Sunny D smoothie, .89
2-Sunny D smoothie, .89
3-Sunny D smoothie, .89
4-Zatarain's rice mix, .99
5-Zatarain's rice mix, .99
6-Coke or 7 Up or Sprite, .79
7-Cheez-it crackers, $1.49
8-Kraft or Sargento shredded cheese, $1.39
9-Jif peanut butter, $1.49
10-Welch's grape jelly, $1.49 (if you already have jelly, buy another brownie mix)
1-Lender's bagels, .89
2-Lender's bagels, .89
3-Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, .89
4-Kraft Philadelphia cream cheese, .89
5-Dole bottled fruit, $1.29
6-Kroger microwave pizza, .49
7-Kroger microwave pizza, .49
8-Kroger microwave pizza, .49
9-Kroger microwave pizza, .49
10-Betty Crocker Brownie mix, .88
Black or red plums, .77 lb.
Large California yellow peaches, .67 lb, buy 3 lbs at $2.01
Fry's large eggs, .77 doz.
FMV bread, .88, buy 4 loaves
Boneless, skinless chicken tenders or breasts, $1.67 lb, buy 3 lbs., at $5.01

NOTE: If I don't put down a quantity, it is assumed that you need to buy just one package, or one pound of the item.

See http://www.couponsense.com/ or http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ for coupon information