Shopping Guide - Part 3

Shopping Guide

The Pantry

I always have certain things in my pantry and fridge. It's how I know what to buy each week, how I figure out if I can make spaghetti for dinner or grilled cheese for lunch.

Freezer
1 bag Frozen mixed vegetables (great for soups)
1 bag Frozen stir-fry (or California) vegetables
1 Pizza
1 box toaster waffles or pancakes
Ice Cream

Fridge
Gallon of Milk
Water, bottled or gallon
Other drinks: prepared lemonade, soft drinks, G2
Soy Sauce
Worcester's Sauce
Pancake Syrup, regular and sugar-free
Cream Cheese
Margarine
Sour Cream
Salsa
2 lbs hamburger meat
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken or pre-cooked chicken strips
32 oz Velveeta cheese, to be used until it's gone
1 bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Lunch Meat
Sliced Cheese
Mini candy bars

Pantry
Angel Hair Past
Macaroni Noodles
Regular Spaghetti Noodles
Jar of Spaghetti Sauce
2+ cans diced tomatoes (plain and/or flavored)
1 can Rotel tomatoes
2 (small) cans tomato sauce
1 can Ranch style beans
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup (Healthy Choice)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (Healthy Choice)
1 can Tomato soup
Various canned fruits and vegetables
2 cans Chicken Broth
2 cans tuna fish in water
1 can chicken
Rice (boil in the bag minute rice, to save time)
Mashed Potatoes
Jif Peanut Butter
Bread
Bagels
Various small bags of cereals
Cookies
Chips

Seasonings
McCormick Taco Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Salt
Powder
Gravy Mixes
Italian Seasoning

See, I told you guys that I never go hungry. Any night I don't plan for I can fix grilled cheese with chips and fruit, chili with sour cream and rice, spaghetti with garlic bread, vegetable soup, stir-fry....the list goes on and on. I try to plan a few meals a week so the same things all the time, but just in case I decide I don't want BBQ Pork sandwich leftover, I can make something else.

This week we spent about $40 on food for the week. Most of the things I needed to make the meals we wanted were already in my kitchen. I started small. When we first moved in, I would buy exactly what we needed for the week, plus one or two extra cans of something. Like if I was making Tuna Casserole, I'd pick up a Cream of Chicken soup AND a Cream of Mushroom soup. Then I'd pick up 2 cans of tuna instead of just 1. It added less than $1 to my bill and slowly I had a full and ready pantry.

What's in your pantry? Share your Shopping Secrets!

Fast and Easy Chicken Rotel

Chicken Rotel
6-12 oz pasta, cooked
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 - 1.5 lbs cooked chicken, in bite sized pieces
8 oz Velveeta, cubed

Mix all ingredients. Heat until all Velveeta is melted and mixture is creamy and heated through.

Variations

• 
  
  Buy Tyson trimmed and ready boneless, skinless chicken strips for a quick cooking chicken. I throw them in a pan with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then cover with Chicken Broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 5-10 minutes. Then cut into bite size pieces. This method works for any boneless, skinless chicken but the time will vary based on the size of your chicken
• 
  
  Use your left over chicken from last night OR boil a whole chicken, covered, for about 40 minutes instead of the method above.
• 
  
  Don't like Chicken? This recipe is good without it.
• 
  
  Boil your noodles in chicken broth instead of water for that homemade, took all day flavor.
• 
  
  Rotel Tomatoes too spicy? Leave 'em out! Don't use any tomatoes...or try a different flavor. Italian tomatoes are different and yummy in this.
• 
  
  Cream of Mushroom Soup can be used instead of Cream of Chicken Soup. Healthy Choice soups are "soupier" than regular soups.
• Want to really blow people's minds? Cook the chicken and pasta, then pour everything into a casserole dish and bake at 350 until bubbly (about 20 minutes). They'll think you boiled the chicken for 40 minutes, too. Heck, if your baking a casserole, you probably did boil the whole chicken.
  

Thanks for the Header

I'd like to give a shout to KAT who did my cool new Header!!! Check out her work by following the link to Katz Tails.

Shopping Guide - Part 2

I thought I'd share what we bought this week and how that corresponds to food.

Breakfast:
We have 2 toaster waffles left, 3 or so bagels (and cream cheese), and plenty of cereal... so no need to buy anything but milk

Lunch:
Take left-overs of dinner

Dinner:
1. Left Over BBQ Pork from Saturday night
2. Use Pork that wasn't BBQ-ed. Pork with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy?
3. Sloppy Joes
4. Chicken Rotel
5. Stir-Fry
6. Taco Night
7. Grilled Cheese sandwiches
We're actually ahead of the game this week. Usually, I only plan for 4 or 5 nights with Grilled Cheese as a back up. We just have a lot of left-over pork. I recommend buying a pork roast...it was only about $4.50 and it's going to feed us for about 3 days.

What I bought:
Store Brand Milk, $3.75
24 pack water, 3.88
Store Brand Bread, 1.16
Ground Beef, 2.27 (already had 1 in Freezer)
Boneless, Skinless Chicken strips, 4.96
Tyson Pre-Cooked Steak strips, 2.50
Sunbelt Granola, 1.66
Mini Snickers 8 pack, .97
1 box Store Brand Pasta, .88
Soy Sauce, 1.63
McCormick Sloppy Joe Seasoning, .98
McCormick Pork Gravy Mix, 1. 04
G2 120z, 4.98
Store Brand Pasta Sauce, 1.25
Store Brand Chunky Mixed Fruit, .88
Store Brand Diced Italian Tomatoes, .48
Store Brand Diced Tomatoes, .48
Healthy Choice Cream of Chicken Soup, 1.25
Rotel Tomatoes, .98
Swanson Chicken Broth, .98

Total for food: $37

Okay...so how what I bought translate to this weeks menu.

In Red is what I bought today and in Blue is what I already had in my pantry.

Milk, bread, and water are a given. Every week you just need more. Save money in the long run and buy yourself a water purifier for your kitchen sink. Instead of soda, this week we're trying the new G2 drinks.

The Ground beef I have will be use with the McCormick Sloppy Joe Seasoning. It also requires 1 can of tomato sauce, which I already have in the pantry.

The new Ground Beef will be used for Spaghetti or Taco Night. I always have a Taco Seasoning or Taco kit in the pantry AND I always make sure I have the fixings for Spaghetti night. That's why I picked up 1 can Diced Italian Tomatoes and 1 can of Spaghetti Sauce.

The Chicken Strips will be used for Chicken Rotel. I bought an extra box of pasta just to make sure I have enough. It also requires 1 can of Rotel Tomotoes, 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup, and Velveeta Cheese. I will cook the the pasta in the Chicken Broth.

The Steak Strips and Soy Sauce will be used for Stir-Fry. I usually have some fresh veggies on hand or a bag of stir-fry veggies in the freezer.

The Pork Gravy is going to be used with the left over pork. I will serve it over rice or mashed potatoes. I will probably also heat up some rolls (about $2 for 15) and some green beans.

The Granola and Snickers bars are our fast snacks. I also like to pop open a can of Chunky Mixed fruit and keep it in the fridge for a quick snack (see Fruit Salad recipe).

The only thing not accounted for is 1 can of regular diced tomatoes, and honestly, I was just out and always try to have at least 1 can on hand. I can use that can in a quick chili, spaghetti, noodles with tomatoes, veggie soup....

Also, some things I buy can be picked up even cheaper, like the seasonings, soy sauce, and soups. However, I specifically look for items that do not contain MSG. Often, these items cost a few cents more than their counterparts.

Happy Shopping!

Jen's Shopping Guide - Part 1

How I Prepare

When people hear how little I spend a week on groceries ($55-85) to cover my husband and myself (and any guests we get throughout the week), I always get asked

• What do you buy?!
• Are you just cheap?
• Do you only get store brands?
• Do you have enough food?

We buy lots of stuff...junk food, healthy food, brand names, store brands. We always have enough food for the week, and usually we have left-overs for me to take for lunch the next day. We are cheap. We're tightwads. We semi-plan before we go to the store so that we kind of know what we need. That's step 1.

Jen's Basic Steps:

1. Basically know what you need before you get to the store. This doesn't mean you have to take a list or that you can't just decide to pick up those new chocolate chip cookies. But if you don't know what you need, then you'll forget something AND maybe spend money on something you already in your pantry. I just take a quick look right before I leave. Am I low on milk, mental note...didn't like that salad dressing...buy new dressing.
2. Know how you shop. Do you organize by food type? Frozen foods, canned foods, fruits and veggies. Do you have your grocery store aisles memorized? I organize by meal. In every aisle, I mentally go through what I know I need for the week to make what I want. This goes back to knowing what I need before I get there.
3. Plan your meals. This step also goes right back to step 1. Some people cook everything for the week on Saturday. Others make 30 meals in 2 days and then freeze them. One way is to have the Spaghetti every Monday, Tuna Casserole every Tuesday, etc. If one of those works for you, GREAT! They don't work for me. I come up with 4 or 5 meal ideas that I would like to make and then check the pantry for what I already have.
4. If you don't shop at a low price store (Walmart, Aldis, etc), join the grocery store's price club. Often, you can get Walmart-like prices without ever facing those crowds. At Kroger, it's just a minute to fill out the "application" and the little card goes on your keyring.
5. Check your store's price match deals. Many grocery stores now compete by matching the advertised deals of other grocery stores and Walmart. Be a little wary of dollar deal stores -- that Hunt's spaghetti sauce for $1 is really only 87-97 cents at Walmart.
6. Don't forget the coupons. I don't use them often, but if it's something I haven't tried or a 3 for the price of 2 deal, I'm not above getting out my scissors.
7. Try the Store Brand at least once. I can't stand one store's shredded wheat cereal but their pizza pockets are ten times better than the name brand. Some store brands are even manufactured by the Brand Name company and just given a different label, so you get almost the exact same product for a fraction of the price.
8. If you hate crowds, shop weekend mornings or weeknights.

Be on the lookout for other shopping tips. I plan on adding a section on what I buy each week and how that translates into meals.

Feel free to add your own shopping and grocery planning tips. Is there something that really works for you? I need to know :) I'm always revamping my routine, trying to find the perfect, efficient way to get in, get out, and get cooking.

Quick and Easy Fruit Salad

Quick and Easy Fruit Salad
Base:
1 can No Sugard Added Chunky Mixed Fruits (15 oz)
1 can chunky pineapple in juice

This is SO easy. It's nothing but Variations. Drain the can of Mixed Fruit and put in bowl. Drain half of the liquid from the pineapple. Add pineapple and rest of juice to Mixed fruit. Add other fruits and chill.

What to Add and Variations

• Add whatever canned fruit you like. Really like it? Add a large can. Not sure sure? Add one of those little, personal cans. Some canned fruits that work well are canned peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, and cherries. Peach, pears, pineapple, and cherries will be in the mixed fruit but feel free to add more of your favorites.
  
• Don't forget the fresh fruit. Real orange slices and Granny Smith apples hold up really well.
• Frozen fruits can be added, too. Make this in the morning and by the time you serve it for lunch or dinner, the fruit will be thawed. Frozen strawberries are great! Frozen peaches also work very well.
  
• I caution against using berries (besides the strawberry) in this fruit salad, but don't be afraid to make a separate Berry Fruit Salad. Yum!
• For a thicker, richer (but higher calorie) fruit salad, add 1 can of pie filling. Peach and cherry pie filling lend themselves to the overall flavor of the fruit salad.
• Can't find Chunky Mixed Fruit? Use a can of Fruit Cocktail. I like Chunky Mixed Fruit because the fruit is "chunky" and closer to the same size as the other fruits that I add to my salad
• I caution against bananas. I love them, but this salad is too wet for them and they get soggy. Ewww.

I love this recipe because it is so very healthy. I would prefer to eat fresh pineapple and melon everyday, but who has the time to break into those bad boys and then cube them? This fruit salad can be made in about 2 minutes and is a holiday (and everyday) hit with my family. If you choose to add the pie filling, this is a great addition to store bought pound cake.

Got your own quick fruit salad? Know a great fruit dipper? Share your ideas.

Hamburger with Gravy

Hamburger with Gravy
1 - 1.5 lbs of ground hamburger (or ground chuck)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Worcester's Sauce
Garlic salt (or Garlic powder), to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Fry hamburger, like if you were frying for spaghetti or taco meat. After meat is fully cooked and drained, add soup. If soup is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin. Season with Garlic, salt, and pepper. Add Worcester's sauce, about 1 turn around the pan. Stir everything together and heat until warmed through.

Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or toasted bread.  Turn it into Beef Stroganoff by serving over wide Egg Noodles.

Variations

• I got this idea from my favorite homemade burgers. You don't have to crumble the hamburger meat. Crumbling the meat is just faster. This recipe is just as great if you add the salt, garlic, and Worcester to the meat and then form into patties. Serve with gravy on thick, toasted buns.
  
• Going for burgers instead of the meat with gravy? Add some steak fries on the side.
  
• Brown Gravy is a yummy substitution. Try frying some onions with garlic and butter, then adding the meat and then the brown gravy. Heaven!
• Mushroom Gravy could also be used instead of cream of mushroom soup.
  
• Many soups have MSG. Look for a soup that doesn't include this ingredient, like Healthy Choice soups. Just remember to add salt and pepper for your tastes.

This meal really takes about 10 minutes, especially if you are using box mashed potatoes or toasted bread. Serve with broccoli, carrots, or a salad to add some crunch and color.

Without significant sides, this only serves 2-3 people. With sides, you can comfortably feed 4 or more.

Got your own quick hamburger dinners? Share your comments and recipes below.