Ingles 4 Under $40 - December 3, 2012

I know, I know. I really stink at getting this blog post done by Monday afternoon. I'm trying, really I am, but it's looking like Tuesdays are just going to be a better day for me. The good news - This stuff stays on sale all week. So I'm thinking of changing my format to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and leaving Sunday and Monday to fend for themselves rather than the weekend. What do you think?

Tuesday - Chicken Salad

It sounds girly  but if you do it right, any man will get full on chicken salad. Add in the fact that croissants are on sale and you're in good shape for a "lighter" mid-week dinner. If you're crew is not a fan of mayo then try Greek yogurt. The LL cups are $1.10 ea.

Tyson Boneless Combo Pack - $2.28/lb - boil and chop it up!
Apples or Pears - $1.28 - $1.78/lb - chop
Add some S&P (that's salt & pepper) and a little mayo and mix well. Throw in any variation of dried fruits or  nuts (a favorite).
Iceberg Lettuce - 78c/head
Croissants - $3.98

There you go. Easy dinner Tuesday for about $6.

Wednesday - CHURCH

Thursday - Pork Roast

Boston Butt is on sale too and if you prefer, go with it. But, I prefer a pork loin. At $4.98/lb this may run you close to $10, but it's SO WORTH IT. Rub it with your favorite seasonings (I like McCormick Mesquite rub) and toss into the Crock Pot. Add some red potatoes (3lb/$1.50) and an onion (pennies). Yumm-O-Rama! And at 78c a head, a salad is an easy extra side. Leftover croissants? Even better - Bread too!

Pork loin - $9
Red Potatoes - $1.50
Onion - pennies
Seasoning packet - ~$1

I'm thinking $12 max for this one.

Friday - Nachos

I can't resist nachos, especially when LL Tortilla chips are 3/$5. Tostitos are on sale too, but at 2/$7 who can afford them?!? And the LL chips taste just fine. For these you can use leftover chicken from Tuesday (if you have it) or go for ground beef. (I may even still have some in my freezer from early November.) Grape tomatoes are 2/$3 and your second head of Iceberg lettuce is still only 78c. LL Salsa con Queso is $2.28.

LL Tortilla Chips - $1.67/bag
Chicken or Beef - ~$2.30/lb
Lettuce - 78c
Grape Tomatoes - $1.50
LL Salsa con Queso - $2.28
Taco Seasoning Packet - ~$1

Ha. Nachos for the fam for $9!! Awesome.

Saturday - Blackeyed Peas, Greens and Cornbread

Did I do this last time I posted? I don't remember and we never ate it, but if I did sub your favorite beans/peas or do a soup. Dried peas are on sale as is bacon. I'm sure Ingles has greens this time of year (and probably very well priced), but I like Glory. They taste like "Top of the River's." Cornmeal I have on hand.

This meal is $5 without the bacon $9 with it.

Conclusion

It's hard not to get into a rut when it seems the sale papers does. I can find plenty of junk and ideas for baking, but it's getting harder and harder to add variety to meal time. Oh well, I suppose that routine is not a terrible thing - especially when it has us eating at home rather than out!

~Megan

A Rather Late 4 Under $40

Yep, I'm in need of grace this week. Our lives are crazy right now and so 4 under $40 just had to take a back-seat this week. I could have done it Monday, but we finished up gymnastics and baseball. On Tuesday The Preacher took me to a super-happening Association meeting (and yes, do skip this if you ever have the opportunity to go). On Halloween our church folks tied enough balloon animals to fill a naval destroyer for all the trick-or-treaters that descend on our little town. And yesterday, well yesterday was my birthday! (34, because I know you wanted to know.)

So, if it's not too late and you are in need of some extra meals for this weekend or just want to get a head start on next week here you go -

Day 1 - Frozen Lasagne
Stouffer's Lasagne (the gigantic size) is on sale for $12.98. That's a bit above the $10/meal I shoot for, but this should feed your crew at least twice. Or if you're having company tonight it's perfect - just make sure you give yourself enough time to get it baked. Add a crusty French bread from the bakery for $1.50 and a head of lettuce and carrots and you have the prefect Italian dinner for $16.

Day 2 - French Bread Pizzas

Ok, two "Italian" meals in two days - just change it up and don't serve them in a row. ;o) Thomas's English muffins are BOGO and that makes them $2.10/pack. (I went ahead and bought two.) A super exciting find for these guys was the fancy mozzarella in the cheese fridge (just opposite the bakery) is only $2.99! Go for the good stuff in the balls and slice it thin and one piece will do for each muffin - PERFECTION! Now, my favorite pizza sauce is LE Roselli's Pizza Sauce. Unfortunately, I did not see this kind in the pizza sauce section, but I did find the marinara with the pasta sauces. Any other pizza sauce you can get for under $3. I did splurge on the mini pepperonis ($3.88), but I couldn't resist the fact they will look so cute on those little pizzas. So, if this is all you want on your pizza you've got it for $8. Check your pantry for mushrooms, use some of your frozen ground beef or grab a red bell pepper ($1.50) and chop it up nicely for some extra umph to your dish. NOTE: You may want to toast your muffins a bit before you pizza-fy them just so they don't get soggy once the sauce is added. Pop 'em in the oven at 350 until your cheese is melted and you're good to go.

Day 3 - Croissant Chicken  

Here, Lynn, is your long awaited recipe! I apologize this one wasn't done sooner. I hope you froze your chicken from last week and bought the crescent rolls because this is a good one. This will put you over your $40 for the week if you don't have these in your fridge, but it's a great recipe to keep around and serve when guests visit.

 If you can't read this email me and I'll type it out for you. After you boil your chicken retain your broth rather than opening a new can for only 1/2 a cup. Usually I serve this with rice and something nice and green. But since I'm STILL working through that 10 lbs of potatoes from a month ago I'll serve my chicken with those tonight. (FYI - they have 10lb bags on sale again and it's a great deal, but I think I'll skip it this time because I'm tired of potatoes!) If you have this stuff in your fridge/freezer this may be FREE for you this week - yeah, you already paid for it, but I'm talking about this week! If you need frozen broccoli go for the Laura Lynn big bags. They're about $6, but you can use them in several sittings. Asparagus looked good too, but it's not on sale at about $3.50 a bundle.

Day 4 - Black Beans and Rice

This is one of my favorites! And I have found I love it even more with brown rice (Mahatma $0.96/bag). To make brown rice not so sticky fry it first in a little butter and have your boiling water ready in a kettle to pour into the rice when it's golden brown. If you use the brown rice rather than the long grain white then cook it according to package directions and add it to the beans when they're done. Otherwise follow the recipe. I bought black beans the other week, but even if you didn't they're not going to run you more than $2.00. (Also check the ethnic foods isle if you prefer the Goya brand of beans.)  All-in-all a meal for under $10 and likely under $5.

Recipe - Dice a med onion (pennies), 1 garlic clove, a green and a red bell pepper ($3). Heat 2T olive oil in a large saucepan (I like my Lodge Dutch oven) and cook veggies until tender. Add 1.5 cups of tomatoes ($2) and cook 8-10 min until thick. Season with salt and pepper and stir in beans (prepped per bag instructions), 1 cup uncooked long grain rice , and water. Cover and reduce heat and cook 25 min until rice is tender.

I want to add that a sweet friend was trying to tell me this week that his wife won't let him to go the grocery store any more until she checks 4 for $40! There was a lot going on when he was talking  and it wasn't until we got home and The Preacher was telling me what he had said I realized I missed the compliment! 

Enjoy this weeks meals, late though they may be! The next few weeks should see some super fun deals in the Ingles circular just in time for the holidays. If I'm going to be this late again I'll let you know in advance!

~Megan

Ingles 4 Under $40 - 21 Oct 2012

If you make it to Ingles today, be sure to check out the meat fridge for extra deals. I found some ultra-thin pork tenderloin (2 lbs) for $6.54. That will either go into the freezer with all this week’s extra ground beef ($2.48/lb) or it will make a yummy breakfast soon. Stock up on the boneless/skinless chicken breasts ($1.88/lb) too! 

Monday

Ground beef is on sale. That opens up a world of possibilities. Sloppy Joes will cost about $4 including buns (BTW – stock up on Manwich now if you like the stuff while it’s still $1/can). Do you need to finish off last year’s canned goods? Then chili it is. Large cans of Hanover Kidney Beans are on sale for $1.98. Add a chili seasoning packet and a few cans of tomatoes (some brands are still 10/$10) and you have chili for about $7.50, if you purchase everything this week. Pasta is always a good option at our house. What do you like to do with ground beef at a low cost? Let me know!

Tuesday

Pork roast was looking good and I found a Boston Butt that was only $5.59 (1.45 lbs). I still have potatoes coming out of my ears from the last few weeks so I grabbed some organic baby carrots ($1.50lb – same as non-organic) and will do a roast. If you prefer barbeque then go for it, but if you put your Boston Butt in the crockpot and add a packet of mesquite seasoning (+/-$1) then you will have a roast that is AMAZING and your veggies will taste out of this world. See, you can have this meal at $8.09 (if you already have the potatoes) and that is less than taco night! ***You can eat well for less money than it costs to do fast food!***

Wednesday

Church – I did plan ahead when I thought this Wednesday was Halloween. Those extras will mean either White Chili on Saturday or extra for next week.

Thursday

We’re switching “Taco Tuesday” to “Taco Thursday” this week. It doesn’t have the same ring, but rather than eating ground beef two nights in a row I thought the change might be necessary. I may add variety this week and have enchiladas or burritos – wild, I know. I’ll just use all the goodies I picked up the other week when Old El Paso was running a great deal. Otherwise it breaks down to $2.48/lb for beef, $3.50 for a lb of LL block cheese, and $1.48 for a head of lettuce. Tortillas and taco seasonings will cost you +/- $3 if not already in your pantry. If this is in your stash you are looking good. If you are only a week to week shopper this meal will run you at least $10.

Friday

It’s not freezing outside, but fall is certainly in the air. I couldn’t resist the chicken breast deal ($3.82/pkg +/-). Whole, cut up chicken is unadvertised, but cheap too if you prefer that option.  Tonight it’s Chicken and Dumplings. Mary B’s dumplings are on sale for $2.38 (freezer section) and between those and the chicken I’m making this meal for $6.30. (If you don’t have a recipe you can use the one on the back of the dumpling package.) You can save a few pennies if you go the whop biscuit route and cut those into quarters, but I hear Mary B makes a mean dumpling and I am excited to give it a shot.

Conclusion

The Hatchett family will be eating well the next few weeks from all the inexpensive meats (both advertised and not) I found while shopping. Next Thursday is going be Croissant Chicken – I’ll post the recipe later. It’s a super-yummy dish so grab an extra roll of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (3/$6) to go with an extra packet of chicken breasts and keep them until then.

~Megan

Ingles 4 Under $40 - 14 Oct 2012

If you are looking for junkfood this is a great week to be an Ingles' shopper. If it's more substantial meals you're interested in then we are delving deep into what's been on sale over the last several weeks because this weeks choices are a bit slim . . .

Monday
I'm thinking roasted chicken legs are in order for Monday. They're yummy and easy and you can add any number of roasted veggies to your pot. And a one-pot meal is a pleasure to behold!

Tuesday
It will be spaghetti, or some variety of pasta, at the Hatchett house thig week. We're still in the throes of ball season and it's a quick, filling meal.

Wednesday
Y'all know the drill - it's church for us. Do you cook on Wednesdays?

Thursday
Pintos and cornbread! Apparently it's been a while since I fixed this because The Preacher was asking for them. Sounds good to me and maybe the weather will cool down just a bit more and give us a chilly night needing pintos to warm it up.

Friday
In one last nod to summer, we're going to have BLT's here on Friday. Tomatoes are on sale and I figured it was good time to enjoy these before you can only find wintery, anemic tomatoes on the shelves.

Price list coming tomorrow and I'm thinking we should be well within our $40 budget. Let me know if you see anything in the sale flyer I missed. What would you chose this week?

~Megan

Two Fabulous Soup Recipes

Since I have still not been to Ingles this week I am going to post my two soup recipes I told you about. They are equally amazing. Grandmother’s Chicken Noodle (which did, indeed, come from my very own grandmother) is the simpler of the two, but the Leek and Potato (from a Pampered Chef newsletter) is well worth any effort required. Provided your family isn’t Duggar-sized, both of these recipes make enough soup for your crew and maybe even another. There will certainly be enough left for lunch for a day or two. Enjoy!

~Megan

Grandmother’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Boil a package of split breasts or a whole cut up chicken for broth.

Season broth to taste with thyme, salt, pepper, etc.

When done, remove chicken from broth and pick meat from bones.

Strain broth if desires and place chicken back into broth.

Pour one large (26oz) can Cream of Chicken soup into broth/chicken.

Cook one package of egg noodles (I like the thin ones) per package directions and add to soup.

Voila! Serve warm immediately or reheat the next day (which I like even better). You may need to add a bit of water or more broth if you reheat this soup as it will thicken when refrigerated overnight.

Leek and Potato Soup

2 Large Leeks white and light green parts only

-cut lengthwise in half and thinly slice crosswise. Swish in cold water to remove dirt.

1T butter

1 med onion – finely chopped

3 cloves garlic – pressed

1.5 t smoked Paprika

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes – peeled & diced

4 c chicken broth

1 can Great Northern Beans – drained & rinsed

1.5 c milk

3 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese – shredded

0.5 t salt

0.5 t pepper

6 T sour cream

Melt butter in stock pot over med heat. Add leeks, onion, garlic and paprika. Cook until veggies are soft. Add potatoes and cook about 2 min stirring constantly. Add stock and cook about 12-15 min until tender. Add beans and cook until warm. Ladle soup into blender and blend until smooth. Return soup to pot and add milk. Stir and cook until simmering. Stir in cheese and salt and pepper. Cook until cheese has melted. Serve. 

WARNING: You may not want to serve this soup while your mama is around. You may feel she needs to slapped. (Just sayin'.)

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Firstly, I just have to apologize for the monstrous Shepherd’s Pie recipe I linked to last week. I had my doubts when looking at it and should have gone with my gut. Absolutely disgusting and zero flavor. Oddly enough my Beloved seemed to like it . . . but then again he rarely says anything bad about anything I make an effort to fix (except pink beef stroganoff – don’t ask). So, I will try to stick with recipes that I know work and aren’t offensive to taste buds.  :o/

Secondly, please bear with me as I have not posted this week’s 4 Under $40. It’s in progress, but there was a death in our church family and I had to make a quick trip out of town instead of my trip to Ingles. Tonight is either taco night or spaghetti night depending on your family preference so knock yourself out and I’ll try to have the numbers up this evening. An overview for the rest of the week is below.

Also, if you read my blogs I would love to see your name under “Followers.” Now that’s not follower in a creepy David Koresh kind of way, just looking to see if anyone out there in cyber-world is marginally interested in anything I’m doing here. I love getting emails from some of you who have sent me quick and easy weeknight recipes. I cannot wait for a chance to give them a shot.

Have a wonderful day!

~Megan

Tuesday

Have a Taco Tuesday or Spaghetti night tonight. Throw in lettuce and tomatoes and you have a great dinner.

Wednesday

Church! (I’m not sure I’ve harped enough on how wonderful it is to take my kiddos to church on Wednesday nights and let someone else worry about their dinner!)

Thursday

Pot Roast is a Sunday favorite around here, but since it does so well in the CrockPot I am not afraid to have it during the week as well.

Friday

Soup Night! I’ll post recipes for both Homemade Chicken Noodle and Leek and Potato soups. They are amazing. The chicken noodle will be a little cheaper and easier, but the Leek and Potato is worth every ounce of effort necessary. You’ll never go back to a loaded potato soup again!

Recipes for this Week's Meal Plan

As I am preparing my 4 Under $40 meal plan for this week I wanted to send out a head’s up. Here are a couple of recipes that you are going to need before I post the grocery list. The Taco Soup recipe came from my sweet cousin, Marcy. It’s one you can probably find most anywhere and I love to give it some variety with what I have in my pantry (and what’s on sale this week). The other is hands down the BEST Cubed Steak recipe ever. Now, this one won’t be done in 30min, but the slow cook time makes it absolutely worth the trouble. If you feed a family of meat-lovers then this recipe should be a go-to in your repertoire.

TACO SOUP

1.5 lb ground beef

1 med onion – chopped

15 oz can tomato sauce

28 oz can diced tomatoes

(2) 15 oz cans kidney beans – drained and rinsed

(2) 15 oz cans yellow corn – keep juice

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 pkg ranch dressing seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain. Return to pot and add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1h. (Mine usually doesn’t make it an hour once it’s warm through!)

CUBE STEAK/Country Fried Steak

Let me give props to former Carrollton Mayor, Gerald Pilgrim, for a country fried steak recipe so good it gets “Slap Yo’ Mama” status.  If you are local and don’t have one of the Recipe Bouquet cookbooks created by the Tallapoosa Garden Club in the 90’s (I think), then you must find a copy. It is a fabulous cookbook and one of the most often used at the Hatchett house. This particular recipe from Mr. Pilgrim can be found on pp. 87-88.

1.5 lbs cube steak

1 can mushroom soup

3 evaporated milk cans water

2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp Carnation milk (evaporated milk)

3 Tbsp Crisco

Salt & pepper

*Note: I substitute most of the water for the rest of the small can of evaporated milk that I use as it is unlikely I’ll need a small can minus 1T of evaporated milk for anything else. And I also find that 3 cans of water make too much gravy to fit into the cooking dish I use.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Salt and pepper steak generously and then batter in flour. Heat Crisco to high in skillet and brown steak quickly. Place steak in an oven safe, covered dish. Put 2 Tbsp flour in grease and brown. Add soup to mixture and evaporated milk and more water (as desires). Pour gravy mixture over steak and bake at 300° for 1 hour. Decrease heat to warm (175 - 200°) and continue baking for 2 hours. This will be the most tender cube steak you will EVER eat and it also works great on cube vineson - you won't even know it's not beef!

~Megan

This week at Ingles . . .

Dinner time is a stressor for me. I find that as 4:30 rolls around around every day, I am in a panic, searching my kitchen for something "appropriate" to feed my family. If I am not prepared then I succumb to the delicacies of corn dogs and peanut butter sandwiches. In my effort to become more disciplined I am undertaking renovations of family dinner time. Now, I used to be a couponer, but since my coupon buddy went back to work full-time over a year ago, couponing has lost it's joy and become a burden for me. However, I am still a money-saving-mama and find that if I spend some quality time on Sunday night with the Ingles' sale paper I am in a great position to save money AND provide my family a much more healthy dinner than would otherwise be the case.

So, here's the Hatchett Family Meal Plan for this week:

Monday - Spaghetti 

You know how to do this. Shake it up by using pasta in a fun or different shape.
Barilla pasta = 4/$5
Classico Sauce = 2/$4
Fresh Express Salad = 2/$4
-without bread your total meal for a family of 4 or 5 is $5.25. That's barely a dollar per person!

Tuesday - Mexican Chicken 

Pop your chicken breasts in the your crock, cover them with the Rotel and cook until done. Just make sure you carefully remove the chicken when complete to make sure there are no small bones that come dislodged and remain in your chicken.
Bone-in-Breast = $0.98/lb or about $2.94 for 3 lbs.
Rotel Tomatoes = 10/$10
Zatarain's Rice (Spanish) = 10/$10
-before adding in tortillas this meal comes to $4.94!

Wednesday - 

Thank Goodness for Wednesday night meals at church. This is a blessing to Mom's everywhere. If your kiddos are not involved in a Wednesday night children's program then the mere fact that most serve dinner is reason enough to get them there!! One day I will write "An Ode to the Wednesday Night Meal." Thank you.

Thursday - Pork Chops

This one is the budget buster for the week, but in my house Thursday is usually the night I can go all-out in the kitchen. I try to do my Beloved a big favor and fix him something really nice. I'll most likely do this one in the crock as well. Dust chops with a mesquite seasoning and put into the crock. Add potatoes and onions and cook until done. Fresh veggies on the side and VOILA!
Chops = $2.98/lb or $8.94 for 3 lbs.
McCormick Seasoning Packets = 10/$10
Potatoes = 10 lbs for $2.98 is about $0.90 for this meal
Onions = $0.78 per lb and about $1.56 for this meal
Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Veggie = 5/$10
Total for this meal is $14.40. A bit more than I like to spend for the other meals during the week, but still a good sight less than what we'd get a heart-attack in a bag for elsewhere. And even though you can steam these veggies in the bag, I generally opt for a glass bowl in the microwave or a quick spin on the stove-top. Fewer creepy plastic parts sealed into my otherwise healthy veggies that way.

Friday - Football Night Manwich

My crew likes to go to the local high school football games (and pray) so I try to have something quick and easy to clean. Thankfully, my Beloved likes Manwich so this is a super easy choice for us.
Manwich = 10/$10
LL Pretzles = 10/$10
Grapes = $1.68/lb so about $3.36
Buns and ground beef were not listed in the paper this week so I'll have to price them in a bit, but thus far you're looking at $5.36. Choose a fruit other than grapes and you may be looking at less. Either way, this price still won't be near Thursday night's total.

If you go into Ingles with only this plan today, you'll spend less than $40 for 4 nights of food for your family. Not too shabby on the pocket book and you aren't slacking in the substance of meals here either. 

LUNCHES

I am looking at the Progresso 10/$10 soups and deli turkey on sale for $4.98/lb as likely lunch candidates this week along with left overs. With an extra bag of salad you can turn Tuesday's chicken into a spicy lunch salad for Wednesday. There are also good deals on cheese sticks and apples (both organic and non) to keep on hand for snack time.

OTHER
There are some GREAT 10/$10 deals at Ingles this week so also look at stocking up while there. I like to keep a stash of the McCormick seasoning packets for chili and pot roast and whatever else I see they are offering. (I love little helps that make my job easy.) My baseball players are always in need of sunflower seeds and at 10/$10 I'll be stocking up on those this week too. It's a good time to add extra spaghetti fixings to the pantry stash for a quick meal in another week or so. And I always look for the family deals in the meat department. It's often much cheaper to buy several pounds of ground beef or a big package of chicken legs (organic is on sale too and I will be buying to freeze until next week) than smaller servings. Better to divide and freeze than spend your extra money on something as unexciting as dead animals. ;o)

Have a Wonderful Week!
Megan
*Follow the Ingles link to their weekly sale page and make/print your list from there.

UPDATE: Including the $11 worth of ground beef, my meal total this week was $40.95 (including tax - even though I'm still not sure how grocery tax works). That just leaves one problem - the other $100 I spent NOT on meals for this week! How on earth did that happen?!?! LOL The story of my life.