Weekly Meal Plan and Shopping Trip #2

    
Okay, so I have one word to say that describes how I am feeling about Tuesday...FALL!!  Oh no, I just said a bad word, according to my summer loving husband!  I for one LOVE fall!  I love the trees changing colors, the smells and spices, and of course the food!  Who doesn't love pumpkins, squash, and apples, all paired with delicious, home cooked meals like pork roast and turkey!  Oh no, I said another bad word, turkey! 
     Fall of course is our last season of beauty before the dreaded winter...which in my husbands point of view, is the worst, most depressing time of the year.  Of course, fall also marks the beginning of another school year starting, and for me, this year is bittersweet because my youngest is off to UPK and I will have five mornings a week without a single child in my care.  I am also going back to work part time, and since I haven't had a job outside of my home in several years, I am sure there is going to be a period of adjustment. 
     In an effort to be completely organized (which is not a strong suit of mine), I am planning the meals a little further out than I normally do.  In addition, I have taken into account all of the items that I will need to have on hand to pack lunches for the kids. 
     Meal planning, as I have mentioned in the past, is something that I have to do in order to stay within the budgeted amount for groceries.  Sometimes it can be a real pain in the (well you know...) to sit down and actually think about meals that you won't be eating for two weeks, but after several meal planning sessions, it does become easier.  My purpose for sharing all of this with you is to help you either start the practice of meal planning, share budget friend meal ideas, and show you that living within a tight budget doesn't limit you to highly processed, unhealthy choices! 
     The plan for this week is to highlight all of the meals on our calendar with recipes, pictures, and a break down of the cost for each meal. I will be posting one meal each day with all of the details.  Below is an overview of the week along with my shopping list.  Everything that I purchased came from Aldi this week, I didn't have to go elsewhere!  Yay! 
    
Saturday 8/29- Chicken Pot Pie
Sunday 8/30- Breakfast- Cereal, banana, yogurt
                      Lunch- Ham or PB&J sandwiches, apple, and pretzels
                      Dinner- Ranch Pork Roast, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, applesauce & cornbread
Monday 8/31- Breakfast- Pancakes
                        Lunch- Left over pork roast on bread
                        Dinner- Chili  & leftover cornbread
Tuesday 9/1- Breakfast- yogurt, granola, & bananas
                      Lunch- ham or PB&J sandwiches, pretzels
                      Dinner- Parmesan crusted chicken tenders, French fries, & corn
Wednesday 9/2- Breakfast- cereal, bananas
                           Lunch- I'm taking a certification exam so the kids will be eating with a friend.
                           Dinner- dinner and a movie out with the kids to celebrate the end of summer!
Thursday 9/3- Breakfast- scrambled eggs, sausage, toast
                        Lunch- Macaroni and Cheese
                        Dinner- hot turkey sandwiches, sweet potatoes, and green beans
Friday 9/4- Camping!  Breakfast- Cereal, bananas, or yogurt
                                     Lunch- Tuna Salad Sandwiches with tomatoes
                                     Dinner- Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup
Saturday 9/5-Camping! Breakfast- eggs, bacon, toast
                                      Lunch- Ham or PB&J sandwiches
                                      Dinner- hamburgers, baked beans, and dilled tomato and cucumber salad
Sunday 9/6-Camping! Breakfast- French toast
                                    Lunch- Sandwiches and leftovers from dinner (Saturday)
                                    Dinner- marinated round steaks, baked potato, corn on the cob
Monday 9/7- Breakfast- cereal, fruit
                      Lunch- Sandwiches, fruit, yogurt
                      Dinner- BLT's, tater tots, and applesauce or cottage cheese
Tuesday 9/8- First day of school!! 
                      Breakfast- pancakes and sausage
                      Lunch- packed lunches!
                      Dinner- Chicken and wild rice soup, crusty bread, and salad
Wednesday 9/9- Breakfast- Cereal
                           Lunch- packed lunches!
                           Dinner- stuffed shells w/ Italian sausage
Thursday 9/10- Breakfast- Oatmeal, fruit
                         Lunch- packed lunches!
                         Dinner- pork chops, rice pilaf, broccoli.
Friday 9/11- Breakfast- cheese omelets, toast
                     Lunch- packed lunches!
                    Dinner- Salisbury steaks, cheesy potato bake, corn
Saturday 9/12- we are going to a birthday party so I won't have to feed the kids dinner at home. 
                         Breakfast- French toast bake with fruit salad
                         Lunch- leftovers from dinner
Sunday 9/13- First day of Sunday School!
                       Breakfast- Cereal, fruit or toast
                       Lunch- Sandwiches, fruit
                       Dinner- Roast Chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and homemade biscuits.

Shopping List-
3 gallons of milk (I may need more than that, it depends on how much we go through in a week.)
3 pounds of butter (I won't use all of this in one week, but if I decide to bake, we will go through it)
2 dozen eggs
4 loaves of bread
3 boxes of cereal
2 boxes of yogurt sticks
1 pound of American Cheese
1 pound of cottage cheese
1 each- frozen corn, green beans, peas, mixed vegetables
1 each- Crinkle cut French fries, tater tots
3 pounds of apples
2 bags of baby carrots
2 5# bags of flour
1 bag of granulated sugar
2 cans of great northern beans
2 boxes of wild rice
4 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 cream of mushroom soup
2 cream of chicken soup            (restocking pantry items)
2 cream of celery soup
1 box of chicken broth
2 cans of beef broth
1 jar of jelly
10 # of white potatoes
2 bunches of bananas (I may need to purchase more)
1 pound of sour cream
2 bottles of coffee creamer
1 bag of French vanilla coffee (my weakness!)
1 bag of frozen, cubed hash browned potatoes
1 pound of shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package of boneless chicken thighs
1 turkey breast
1 package of the cheapest steak available (I found round)
1 family package of ground beef
1 package of pork chops ( I ended up with boneless spare ribs because they were cheaper)

My total bill at Aldi was 192.53 for everything that I needed.  I had some of the meat on hand already, so I didn't need to purchase the pork roast or the roasting chicken.  In addition, I didn't need to purchase the macaroni and cheese, the rice pilaf, or the shells for the stuffed pasta because they were in my pantry already. 

I hope that you found this helpful!  Make sure to pop back in to check out the recipes and photos for some of the meals listed throughout the week.

Are you a menu planner too?  What meals do you have on your list for the week?  We would love for you to share! 

I hope you all have a very blessed Sunday afternoon!

Blessings to All!