Weeks 6 -8, consolidated

Week 6

My goal? To spend $140 per week on food for 10 people, which is $2 per person per day.

If you recall, we had a super challenge the last couple of weeks. We spent around $50 here and there. This week, I spent $225 restocking the pantry.

What we got this week:
15 green bell peppers, 6 red bell peppers, 2 large poblano peppers, 12# apples, 12 navel oranges (look at ‘em! They’re the size of the cantaloupe, for a quarter each!), 2 cantaloupes, 1 bunch kale, 1.5# fresh broccoli, 1 medium eggplant, 2# zucchini, 8 kiwis, 3 limes, piece ginger, 1.5# asparagus, 15# potatoes, 2 heads cabbage, 3 heads romaine lettuce, and 5 tomatoes.

I love the Mexican grocery store. We got all of this fresh food for less than $25!

1.5# whitefish, 3/4# baby octopus (for husband), 7# pork chops, 2# Italian sausage, and 4 whole chickens.

7 packages assorted small pasta, 6# brown rice, 4# white rice, 2# garbanzos, 1# lentils, 1# split peas, 1# navy beans, 1# red beans, 4 boxes WW spaghetti, 2 boxes WW rotini, 2 boxes WW penne, 3 jars spaghetti sauce (I love when they discontinue flavors. They were 60 cents each!), large jar salsa, 100 ct. tea bags, 10.5# quick oats, 1 box whole grain cream of wheat, 1 box chocolate malt-o-meal, 2 cans oyster stew, 1 can black olives, 3 large cans crushed tomatoes, 3 small cans tomato paste, 1 can pineapple slices, 1 jar pineapple apricot jelly (so good on pork chops), 56 oz. creamy peanut butter, and 2 large jars unsweetened applesauce.

48 oz. canola oil, 34 oz. olive oil, 15# WW flour, 10# AP flour, 12# white sugar, 4# brown sugar, 6 oz. dried cranberries, 1 can salt, large carton baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and 16 oz. slivered almonds.

3 dozen large eggs, 4 gallons milk, 3# butter, 1# sharp cheddar cheese, 1 can whipped cream, and 3 pkg. hot dogs.

2# frozen spinach, 2# froz. peas, 2# peas and carrots, 4# broccoli cuts, 2# broccoli and cauliflower, 2# frozen blackberries, and 2# frozen blueberries.

What are we gonna eat? (besides peanut butter!)

Saturday, Feb. 7: salad, chicken tacos, pintos

Sunday, Feb. 8: Stuffed bell peppers, bread

Monday, Feb. 9: Pork chops, peas, asparagus, brown rice

Tuesday, Feb. 10: ratatouille, rice, salad with white beans and olives

Wednesday, Feb. 11: chicken enchiladas, beans, rice

Thursday, Feb. 12: chick pea soup, bread (or pitas), yogurt sesame spread.

Friday, Feb. 13: fish tacos, salad

Week 7

Didn’t go to the store, $0

Week 8

I try out The Vegan Lunchbox cookbook for a week

My goal? Spend $2 per person per day on food. $140 a week, for our family of 10.

Week 5 and 7 are MIA because I did not go shopping that week and we ate out of our pantry.

I spent $109.59 (and $17 on vitamins).

(I’m really surprised it’s this low, although we are eating vegetarian for most lunches, and eat oatmeal or hot cereal for breakfast most days. Also, I make a lot of things from scratch.)

What I got:
1 doz. eggs, 2 gallons milk, 32 oz. plain yogurt, 2# shredded cheese

5# cornmeal, 4# sugar, 8# quick oats, 1 box complete pancake mix (at 99¢ for 32 oz, it’s cheaper than mixing up my own!), 1 box Multigrain Cheerios (sale + coupon = .67 for the box!), 200 corn tortillas, 12 pkg. ramen noodles (per husband’s request – YUCK!), 14 oz. alphabet noodles, 3 cans picante sauce, 6 cans hominy, 2 cans Ranch Style beans, 1 bottle ketchup

17 navel oranges, 24 apples, 1 head cauliflower, 8 organic bell peppers (red, yellow, and green mixed, on the reduced rack for $2 total), 21# potatoes, 5# carrots, 2 poblano peppers, 4# white onions, 2 1/2# Roma tomatoes, 4# green cabbage.

1# dried garbanzo beans, 1# pearled barley, 1# blackeyed peas, 2# dried white beans, 1# dried black beans, 8# rice.

2# frozen gumbo mix, 2# frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix, 2# frozen garden blend

3 chickens, 3# boneless beef steak, 5# pork roast, 11# shank ham

…and 3 bags of half off Valentine’s candy. The chocolate’s for me, the conversation hearts are potty training bribery.

I found a fabulous new resource at the library – The Vegan Lunchbox Cookbook. Every once in a while I’ll click over to the Vegan Lunchbox blog and admire her lunches. I knew there was a cookbook, but wasn’t ever interested because we’re not vegans, and there’s no way I have the time to make such intricate and pretty lunches for 8 people everyday.

But, the cookbook is great! I’m trying a ton of recipes this week. Our lunches had become throw-together ho-hums.

I’m hoping that carefully planning lunches and snacks will help with that.

I’m also hoping to mix up our grains, so if we have malt-o-meal (wheat) for breakfast, we don’t also have pasta (wheat) for lunch, bread (wheat) for a snack, and bulgur (wheat again!) for dinner. Or cornmeal mush for breakfast (the kids don’t want oatmeal everyday… so okay… I’ll try anything once!), polenta for lunch, popcorn for a snack, and tacos for dinner all in the same day.

What we’re eating:
Recipes in green are from The Vegan Lunchbox Cookbook.

Sat., Feb 21: Lunch, snack: Peanut butter and jelly, apple, orange
Dinner: Chicken fajitas, pepper strips, Spanish rice

Sun., Feb 22: Lunch, snack: Golden Cauliflower soup, apple, pepper strips
Dinner: Ham, baked potatoes, peas

Mon., Feb. 23: Lunch, snack: Tostadas, pepper strips, “cheesy” roasted chickpeas
Dinner: Pasta Carbonara w/broccoli and fresh tomatoes

Tues., Feb. 24: Lunch, snack: Corn pone muffins w/pintos, mixed veggies, orange
Dinner: Waikiki Chicken (stupid name for recipe from WalMart kiosk), broccoli, rice.

Wed., Feb. 25: Lunch, snack: Baked cream cheese spirals, apple, bread
Dinner: Fish tacos, cole slaw (didn’t actually make them last time!)

Thur., Feb 26: Lunch, snack: hummus and sprout pitas, honeybee balls
Dinner: Hambone and black-eyed pea soup, cornbread

Fri., Feb. 27: Lunch, snack: Leftovers or sandwiches.
Dinner: Vegetarian gumbo with red beans, rolls or cornbread. (I love cornbread and could eat it every day!)

BTW- Baby X ate three bowls of the cauliflower soup! I made it with fewer potatoes than called for because I have to eat like a diabetic, but it still turned out tasty.