Monday, October 1, 2012

4 Under $40 for 30 Sept 2012


Confession – I got a bit ambitious with my plans for this week. Now, my totals for the meals as I had planned is still only $47.55, but that is not less than 4 for $40 so I'm going to take a do-over and change the schedule. The ribs have to go. Though on sale, the $11.22/rack and sides was just more than this budget could handle.

Monday
Stay with the Shepherd's Pie today. It will be a super warming meal on this yucky, rainy day we've had. If you are still eating through the 10 lb bag of potatoes from 2 weeks ago you've brought your total even lower. If not, go for the 5# bag of golden potatoes for $2.50 and save the rest for an amazing Leek and Potato Soup next week.

Tuesday
My family loves chicken legs and though I don't love the way they taste I LOVE the way they are often priced. The $0.98/lb price is on the smaller packages so you'll probably need 2. And with this recipe you have a (nearly) 1 dish meal. (We leave mushrooms out of recipes around here so they were not included in my pricing.) If you have rice and cream of mushroom soup in your stash then you save money. If not, go for the Success Rice. At $1.78/box it's a steal and your rice will be finished and fluffy in under 10 minutes. Success Rice also makes a brown rice if you want to up the health/fiber factor. Laura Lynn Cream of . . . Soups are priced at $0.75 ea so stock up on these while you can.

Wednesday
!!Church!!

Thursday
Salmon and Thai Rice Noodles is tonight's dish. Now, if your family doesn't love Asian cuisine then you might want to use some of your extra ground beef and go for the Sloppy Joe's or Chili. Use what should be in your pantry from the last couple of weeks and you eat for the cost of a pound of beef only - $2.48lb this week! Otherwise here is a fabulously delicious and healthy recipe with extra veggies and it's one of my favorites –
Prepare 1 box of Thai Rice Noodles ($2.38) per box directions. Sprinkle with sesame oil so they won't be sticky and set aside.
In a small bowl wisk together 4T honey and 4T soy sauce. Put 1 lb salmon filet ($4.98) into dish with honey and soy sauce, flip to coat and let sit 5 min. Broil in an oiled baking dish for 6-7 min. Retain remaining sauce.
In a large skillet over med/high heat toast 2T sesame seeds until golden brown. (Watch closely!) Place into separate bowl. Into skillet place 2T coconut oil, 6 sliced green onions ($1), 2 chopped red bell peppers ($3) and 2 cups spinach ($2.84). Saute 3-4 min. Add noodles and remaining honey/soy sauce. Toss until heated through. Serve with salmon sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Like I said, this is a favorite and super yummy. Let me know what you think. Even if you don't go with the noodles and veggies the simple honey/soy sauce is great for a quick salmon broil.

Friday
Tonight, take advantage of the DiGiorno Advantage Deal and eat for $4.98. You can use some of the spinach you didn't use last night and serve the pizza with a salad or just eat the pizza alone. I noticed that Jell-O and Jell-O puddings are on sale for ($0.75) so grab a box and even have dessert.

 

Conclusion
While I am sorely disappointed about the ribs I'll be more careful next time. At only $7 over budget I was tempted to go for it anyway, but a $40 budget is a $40 budget. Besides, if you decide to do the salmon and need new pantry staples like Sesame Oil or Coconut Oil those will run you from about $6 to $9 per bottle/jar. Soy sauce is on sale in several different brands/sizes. $1.88 for 10 oz was the best deal I found. Don't miss out on the ground beef sale and buy extra before it goes back up to over $3/lb. (Ew.)
Below is the Grocery List. Enjoy!

 

~Megan


Meat
Per Lb Price
Quantity
Total
Ground Beef
$2.48
1#
$2.48
Salmon
$4.98
1#
$4.98
Chicken Legs
$0.98
3#
$2.94
  
  
  
  
Produce
Price
Quantity
  
Gold Potatoes
$2.50
5#
$2.50
Onions
$1.50
3#
$1.50
Green Onions
$1.00
2
$2.00
Red Bell Peppers
$3.00
2
$3.00
Fresh Express Spinach
$2.84
1
$2.84
  
  
  
  
Dairy
Price
Quantity
  
LL Sour Cream
$1.34
1
$1.33
LL Cheese
$1.67
2
$3.34
  
  
  
  
Freezer
  
  
  
DiGiorno Pizza
$4.48
1
$4.48
  
  
  
  
Grocery
Price
Quantity
  
DelMonte Green Beans
$0.70
1
$0.70
LL Cream of . . . Soup
$0.75
1
$0.75
Success Rice
$1.78
1
$1.78
Thai Rice Noodles
$2.38
1
$2.38
Kraft BBQ Sauce
$0.98
1
$0.98
  
  
  
  
Grand Total
  
  
$37.98

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