Suddenly Saturday

It's Saturday already and May is history.  I haven't depleted the stock that much.  I'll try again in June.
I really haven't bought meat in weeks, but have stocked a few things that were super rock bottom prices.  Limited myself to five each.

I deleted a post with the hopes that I could slow down the spam I am getting.  It didn't work. The Winco vs Costco post is gone.

On to the purpose of this blog.  I have just posted the monthly blogs this month on the basics.  the shopping part is there.  The cooking from scratch is a learned talent that if you don't already have it, it happens one recipe at a time.   There are a lot of no brainier recipes out there that are simple and fast.  We all live in a busy world, if you have children it is usually more busy this time of the year with  school ending for the summer.

There are a few inexpensive tools that make life easier.  I love my microwave pasta cooker.  It is about ten dollars.  You can make pasta in the microwave by putting the correct amount of water in this plastic oval bowl with your pasta, putting the bowl in the microwave, and turning the microwave on.  Then you can go about and make your sauce, salad and bread.  It drains with the aid of the lid.  one bowl to wash.

The next indispensable things  in our house is the slow cooker, the food processor, and the microwave.

I have been finding slow cooker recipes on the Betty crocker web site. Many of them look and sound really good.  Www.bettycrocker.com/ recipes

When I get home from the grocery stores, I keep track of my spending on a spread sheet.

Week 1        SAFEWAYS.      ALBERTSONS.     Winco.               Total
Week 2

If you don't have a computer, it is easy to do with a piece of lined paper, a straight edge, and a calculator.

You can get the gist of it.  Then I can add the total of the weeks and divide the total by four to get my average amount spent per week.  I'm still sitting about 70.00 a week, and have built a good stock.  This week I spent 50.00 and at least twenty of it was stock.

Making a meal plan is one of the best ways to keep on track.  It's too easy to fall off the meal train if you don't have a plan.  You don't have to necessarily eat a particular meal a particular day, but have a list of seven meals as a guide to follow.
Develop your own formula.  In our house it is

2 beef
2 pork or chicken
2 vegetarian
1 fish or shellfish

1. I'm diabetic and eat just about everything, my daughter is vegetarian, my husband only wants to ear meat, and my granddaughter is semi/ vegetarian.  It all works.  Specialty diets don't have to derail your budget.  

Look in your fridge and make a note of what needs to be eaten.  Can you make something with it?  Banana bread, waffles, salad?  Pasta sauce?  
Look at the ads and see what looks good that is on sale cheap.
Incorporate what you have with what is on sale and pencil in a plan.  All you have to do is list 7 main dishes.  Most people know what to add to them and pair the same thing every time.
how classic in this country is spaghetti with red sauce , green salad, and French bread.
I buy baguettes at Costco, brown and serve they price out at about .95.

I have sausage crumbles, hot dogs, pepperoni, eggs, chicken parts and bones, meatballs, shrimp,
Vegetable pasta sauce, cheese, taco meat, pork roast slices off the top of my head.

1. Hot dogs , German potato salad, carrot and celery sticks
2. Pork slices, stuffing, broccoli salad 
3. Chicken pot pie, turtle pudding 
4. Tacos, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream
5. Spaghetti with veggie sauce, salad, bread
6. Roasted red pepper and tomato  soup with blue cheese and basil soup, cheese, crackers
7. Salmon, green beans, baked potatoes. 

This makes for a balanced variety of foods. 

Thanks for stopping by

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Jane