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

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Mar.2-Mar. 8

If you want to shave more money off of this menu, for the chicken night buy the thighs, drums or leg quarters at Albertson's for .88 lb. It may end up costing more in the long run though, as you have to buy a family pack. I haven't checked Albies yet as to pricing this week. Albies also had "Hawaii's Own" juice concentrate for $1. I had a wonderful menu my first draft but the total was over $90, so I had to re-vamp it. This is what I came up with. Have a good week.

$78.43

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal
2-Egg biscuit
3-Waffles
4-Blueberry pancakes
5-Egg, bacon and cheese taco. Use a couple of slices left over from the bacon sandwiches and crumble them in the eggs. Put egg, cheese and bacon into a flour tortilla and roll up. This can be done the night before and parked in the fridge in plastic wrap, then reheated in the microwave. Great breakfast for in the car, if needed.
6-Pancakes
7-Oatmeal

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, apple
2-Lunchmeat sandwich, orange
3-PB&J sandwich, grapes
4-PB&J sandwich, apple
5-Cottage cheese with fruit (canned peaches, pears or fruit cocktail)
6-Leftovers, grapes and hard boiled eggs
7-Totinos pizza

Dinner
1-Swiss steak (browned round steak with herbs like basil or oregano, whatever you like and can of tomatoes and half of a chopped onion in crockpot), deviled eggs, red potatoes
2-Bacon sandwich
3-Taco soup, see recipe on right side under soups. Avocado slices, tortilla chips, sour cream and shredded cheese as toppings. Have butcher grind up one pound of round steak into hamburger He'll do it if you don't ask him close to closing time or after the equipment has been cleaned.
4-Stuffed peppers, stuff with Rice A Roni made up, steamed broccoli. If you would like to add spicy or mild dinner sausage (without the casings) to the rice mixture in the peppers, buy Kroger dinner sausage at Fry's for $3.50 extra.
5-Fish tacos, cucumber spears or coins
6-Chicken breasts cooked then stuffed with ham and cheese, sauteed mushrooms on top, frozen vegs and Pasta roni
7-Refried Bean and cheese burrito

Albertsons
Albertsons lg. eggs, .88, buy 2, limit 2
Albertsons milk, .78 for 1/2 gal., limit 4, buy 4 at $3.12
Rice A Roni, .79, limit 4, buy 2 at $1.58
Pasta Roni, .79, limit 4, buy 2 at $1.58
Bar S Bacon, $2.99
Mi Ranchitos tortilla chips, 10/$10, buy 1 at $1
Rosarita beans, $1.69
Albertsons cereal, $1.67
$15.39

Bashas
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, $1.67, buy 2 lbs. at $3.34
Apples, .87 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.61
Green or red grapes, .77 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.31
California navel oranges, .47 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $1.88
Yellow onions, .47 ea, buy 1
Boneless round steak, $1.77 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.31
Hillshire Farm lunch meat Ham, , 3/$10, buy 1 at $3.33
Krusteaz pancake mix, $1.99
Shamrock Farms sour cream, $1.69
Hass avocados, 2/$1
Broccoli, .87 lb.
Shamrock Farms cottage cheese, $2.49
Del Monte fruit, $1.39, buy one Peaches, pears or fruit cocktail
$28.68

Fry's
Kroger cheese, save 50%, I haven't checked it out yet but figure it's close to $1.60/pkg. Buy 2
Mushrooms, 2/$3, buy one at $1.50
Fry's or Kroger tomatoes or beans, 5/$3, buy 3 tomatoes, one Black or pinto beans, four cans total at $2.40
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers, $1.37, buy 1
Pillsbury biscuits, 4/$5, buy 1
Gorton's fish sticks or filets, $3.99
Kroger waffles, .99, buy 1
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4 at $3.52
Kroger Value peanut butter, I've allowed for $1.49
Totinos Party Pizza, 10/$10, buy 3
Flour tortillas, I've allowed for $2.99
Tomato sauce, 2 (8 oz.), I've allowed for .80
Taco seasoning mix, I've allowed for $1.00
Del Monte vegetable, .79, buy one can of corn for the taco soup
$28.28

Sprouts
Oats, .79 lb.
Blueberries, .99, buy 1
Red, gold or orange bell peppers, .77 ea., buy 2
Cucumbers, .69
red potatoes, .69 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.07
$6.08

Items not on grocery list:
Butter
flour
sugar
jelly
pancake syrup
mayonnaise
herbs and spices
cilantro, .49 at Sprouts
Cantaloupe, .99 at Safeway
Harvest Provisions ham or cold cuts, $6.49 lb. at Bashas
lettuce for fish tacos if desired
tomatoes for bacon sandwiches if desired
Kroger dinner sausage, 2/$7 at Fry's if desired for stuffed peppers

The making of a Budget Menu

For those of you who want to do your own thing, here are some pointers. When I get the ads on Wednesday morning, I peruse them as soon as I get everyone to where they need to be, to see what is good, what is killer prices for the week and to see what we need from the sales. When I get some time, I then go back with pen and paper and write down the best sale prices. I jot down only the meat sales on the front pages of the ads, and even then sometimes they are not really smokin deals. Like this past week, Fry's had pork loin for buy one, get one free. Sounds great, huh? When I checked it out at Fry's each pork loin was averaging $31. So not so great, if buying two that's about $15 per loin when the week before I got a decent pork loin that fed us for 4 dinners, for $7. So, I jot down the things we like, the things that are great prices for that week and then I look at ingredients and think what could be made for breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the week out of those ingredients. For fresh fruit, anything a dollar or under is good. Really great when oranges or apples are .49 lb. Same for fresh vegetables. Anything a dollar or under. Really great when broccoli is .69 lb. Eating vegetarian for a couple of night meals is a great way to keep food costs down. Like macaroni and cheese or meatless spaghetti or a pasta salad or big cobb salad. Stocking up on hamburger, pork loin and chicken when they are killer prices and freezing them is a great way to save money as well. You spend more the weeks that they are on sale but then other weeks you are not buying meat at all. If you can keep away from grocery store bakery items and make your own, other than bread, then you can save a lot of $ also.