Thursday bullets - what to bring to the grocery store.

Thursday bullets : what to bring to the grocery store.  

1. Bags :   Around here, some cities have banned plastic grocery bags.   Some cities charge you for your gricerynbags, some don't,  and some give you a credit (Winco) for bringing bags.   Bags that clip onto your cart work well and are more sanitary.    Studies have shown poop germs on the bottom of the carts.    Yuk!   
2. Coupon binder or envelope.   Having coupons for the things that you know you will buy he,os a lot.  Having them organized means you will have a better chance of using them. 
3. Rewards cards.    Every bit helps.    Our Kroger gives something sway every week. Don't take it ofmyou will never use it, but we take things we know we can pass on tonsomeone that dies need it.    -- food bank?    Cat lover?    
4. Calculater or your phone of it has one on it,   A lot these days have unit prices in ounces, not per can.  Bulk items need to be calculated to know if they are a bargain or not.     
5. The ads.    Circle the things that you are interested in- a good reminder.     
6. Small scissors  to clip coupons from the store ads if necessary.    Sometimes Winco has coupons on the entrance.    
7. Hand sanitizer.       Chicken cooties.      Enough said.   
8. A list of what you need if you are out of something.  

1. 
   

Safeways and QFC hauls

First, my hubby bought  bread, milk and cream for my daughter.   Total bill 3.04

Today I went to QFC with a list based on what I could condo my the internet.   The ,airman has not delivered oir ads  yet.  

Grapes 1.48
Milk .99
Tomato plant 3.79


Safeways.
Mayonnaise 2.00
Chicken of the sea tuna ( for backpack alerts )6 ea
Pork loin roast 1.49   Total 4.25
Bananas 1.32
Strawberries 5.99

Total 25.26

Weekly chain store ads

QFC - two week ad

Buy 5, save 5
Hummus 1.99
FF chicken patties 5.99$$
Mayonnaise 1.99
Kens salad dressing 1.49$$

Grapes 1.48
Milk ,99



Alberways

Bananas 3 lbs .99
Berries 2/5
Pork loin roast 1.49
Cheese -2 lbs 4.99
Bread 2/1@@
Tuna .49@@
Eye of round roast 2.99

Suddenly salad   4/5 - note : it's a dollar next door at the dollar tree.  
Note : Pork loin roast is a keeper for a rotation meat as well as the eye of round roast would make good meat to grind for low fat hamburger.  

Tuesday thoughts

Wednesday last, I went to get the needed dairy products at QFC because they were in sale,  I also picked up a box of raspberries.  I always try to keep two or three kinds of fresh fruit in the house.

I also always check the mark down section ever since I found one of my meds for less  than Costco charges .  They marked it down  because the box had been opened, but then it contained three boxes that were still factory sealed,    I got two cans of  S &; W low sodium chilli beans for .49 each,   The good deal happened when I used an.55 coupon.  I got two cans for .43.   Or .215 a can.

It just a mindset,   You can have good food, watch the nasty 😷 salt, sugar, trans fats, sulfite, hydrogenated  oils, HFCS, and preservatives and still eat on a budget.

• Know your prices and unless it's something you really really can't do without, don't buy anything unless it's at your target price.    
• Buy dairy when it's on sale and buy enough to feed your family before the sell by date  expires.
• Buy fresh produce in season and buy it as close to out of the  earth as you can.   .   In other words, less packaging  and handling is better for the most part.   Certain stores are better than others for produce.  I got ten pounds of potatoes for less than what five pounds cost at another store,    
• Buy a limited variety of cuts of meat,  buy it in bulk and portion control it.   Cook it if it is appropriate and freeze it.  Certain cuts are very versatile .  I always cook and de-fat ground beef and sausage,   It's more efficient than cooking as you need it,    Tonight I threw cooked hamburger, enchalada sauce   That I purchased for a dime, and taco seasoning that I made .10) in the insta pot on sauté,   As soon as it came to a boil, I reprogrammed it to slow cooker  and let it simmer.    It took a matter of minutes.    
•  Make your bread if possible,   The cost is about  a tenth of the cost of buying it.    There are recipes that are really fast and easy,   ( non passive time ) 
• Load up on picnic supplies around summer holiday time,    It will be the cheapest prices on things like BBQ sauce, catsup , mustard etc.    
• Things  like olive oil, flour and beans are cheaper if you can buy bulk at a warehouse store,    pinto beans  are cheapest  at the dollar tree and they are non GMO and grown and packaged  in the USA.     Costco is cheaper, but we can't use 25 pounds before they go bad,   

Monday kitchen management

Monday kitchen management.

It's the first of the month so the fan screen goes in the dishwasher the first load that's a little free.

• Put fan screen in the dishwasher, 
• Wash kitchen floor 
• Wax cabinets in the north side of kitchen 
• Make baking mix 
• Make pizza dough 
• Thaw Pork tenderloin in fridge 
• Wash vegetables 
• Straighten pantry. 
• make chocolate rice crispy squares. 

Meal plans - week of May 29 - total cost 18.42

I'm meal planning and taking you along to see my mindset.    The weather here is warm for a few days and then we have cooler  and rain.  Seattle and rain!   LOL.

I have three packages  of hot dogs.  They have far enough expiration dates that we can use them within the next few weeks.   We only eat hot dogs in the summer and only around holidays that trigger the grocers putting them on sale.  
Part of what we eat is based on what was on sale that week;  Part is based on our key ingredients that I try to keep on hand.  

Grocery shopping based on sales and coupons to get the lowest possible price and fill in what your pantry needs leaves you pretty much free to choose any meals you want within dietary and budget guidelines.

• Pizza - a necessary staple here.  It's cheap.  I make crust for less than a quarter,   Add a fifth of a jar if pizza sauce bought at the DT. ( freeze the rest in ice cube trays ) add cheese - target price close to two dollars a pound and pepperoni that is.50 for a package  with a coupon at the DT.   Total cost 1.20   It also might get any leftover bits hanging around the fridge,   Black olives scarfed from a cassarole, the ends of the sausage or hamburger bag.    Etc 
• Breakfast 4 dinner.  Another easy dinner that keeps a low profile so we can have a more expensive meal another day.   Eggs are .78 a dozen this week.   I'll dry some, but we still have plenty.   I found a recipe for a pancake mix that mis easy and inexpensive.    Add that package if sausage that keeps falling out of the freezer on my toe, and some scrambled  eggs and berries and we should be set.   .36 for eggs, .21 pancakes , 1.88 berries. Sausage 1.00 total 3.34
• Pork tenderloin roast , smashed potatoes. Zucchini with some tomato and red pepper  flakes.  I have. A Pork tenderloin ( not a loin ) in the freezer that I got for five dollars.   Zucchini is a dollar a pound at FM this week.   1/2 roast 2.50, potatoes .32, zucchini 1.00 Tomato paste  .16 total 3.98 
• Tomato soup. cheese biscuits.  2.50 - finish the case of tomato soup.   ( organic roasted red pepper and tomato -Costco at 2.00 each in a case. 
• Tacos. Spanish rice.   Taco kit was a dollar at Grocery Outlet.   Hamburger    - $1.68  lettuce, tomato, cheese and - cup of rice.  Total 3.58 
• Tuna casserole uses tuna 1.00, noodles .50, cream soup base, peas .50 total 2.00 dry bread crumbs and a Tbs of parm is too small to count. 
• Vegetable bean soup , bread sticks.   Bread sticks .15 , soup 1.67 total 1.82 

• Total 18.42 for 7 days 

How? 

• Buy when things are on real sale.
• Use coupons when you can for real food 
• Buy bulk foods that you use a lot, 
• Make scratch with efficient recipes.   
• Buy bulk meat and butcher it yourself 
• Eat vegetarian a couple of nights a week. 
• Soup and bread is a good thing. 
• Plan your meals, but be flexible
• Remake leftovers .  Leftovers don't have to loom the same as the first time around.   

.

Winco and big lots

Big lots 

Animal crackers (6) 2.00

Ice cream cookies 1.00

Garlic 1.25 

Winco 

When it's hot, the meal plans go out the window and we have a burger, hotdog, or some kind of a sandwich and salads.  Beats the heat in a east faced kitchen. 

Chips 1.98

Salmon burgers 2.48

Buns .78

Bananas .68

Grill seasoning .10

Meatballs 1.98

Dry milk 3.48

Potato salad 2.98 

Lettuce .98

Cucumbers.48

Grapes 3.44

Total 20.10 

Fred Meyer Sunday ad

Sunday and Monday ONLY

Cherries 2.88
Tillamook ice cream 2/5


Regular ad
Zucchini .99
Grapes .99
Cantaloupe 2/4
Eggs .78
Yoplait - 10/5$$
Strawberries 2/5

*******++++
Rotation bulk meat for the week would be b
Boneless 1/2 loin pork roast is 1.69
*****+

QFC haul(s)

QFC haul

Bread 1.25,
Chips-ritz Free

Saved 4.63

Strawberries
Raspberries 1.88
2 doz eggs .78
Blueberry pie 1.99
Maple  extract 2.39 (. Markdown )


I will dehydrate eggs for future use--  I'm almost out of vanilla , so I thought I might stretch what I have by using maple flavor  when it mad sense.  

Total
14.05

Total per week so far this  quarter 54.70 .    Including buying bulk purchases.  

Friday recipe - mix

Cream soup base,    Cream of xxx soup is running well  over a dollar on sale.    this is much cheaper and doesn't take much more time than opening a can and you aren't eating things you can't pronounce.

Pick amtome when you can get butter for 2.00.  You can't substitute fake or margarine for this, it doesn't work. Store in the fridge for 2-3 months or freeze.  I make small batches.   

White sauce mix there are several variations out there.   Some Use cornstarch.   

4 cups dry milk ( not instant ) 

1 cup flour 

2 sticks butter. 

Cut butter into the dry mixture.   You can use a pastry cutter or your mixer with the wisk attachment. 

Basic white sauce for,white,sauce, add cheese for Mac and cheese etc.   

2/3 cup mix 

1 cup water 

Cook until thick over medium heat stirring with wisk.   

Thick cream soup ( condensed) 

3/4 cup water 

1 tsp better than boullion 

1 cup mix.  

Stir until thick, cooking over medium high heat.   

Add seasonings of choice about a 1/2 tsp each 

Garlic powder 

Onion powder 

Parsley 

Salt and pepper 

Chocolate pudding 

1 cup mix 

1/2 cup sugar

3 T cocoa 

1 cups water 

Measure ingredients in order and wisk on medium heat until combined.   Turn heat up and bring to boil.   Boil about 20 SECONDS until thick,  cover and chill.  

I have a different version that is low sodium and low fat.   

Another day, another dollar.     

Thursday bullets - ten thing never to eat

Some of this is  from a registered dietitian, but I also have heard it from multiple sources including my dear mother.    LOL.   It's not good to fool Mother Nature and fake is  fake.     This is my opinion, based on my reading.   I'm not a doctor and you need to use your own judgement.
.

1. Orange juice from concentrate has  more sugar than a soda.    
2. Soda pop.     It's full of sugar and the fizz can leach the calcium from your bones, so they say. 
3. Margarine and fake butter.   Hey, I really want to know why palm oil is supposedly cancer producing and terrible on Nutella, but it's ok in fake butter.     If you want to reduce the bad fat in your butter, try land of lakes butter with olive oil.   Olive oil is supposed to be for good cholesterol.   
4. Fake sugar.   They are telling us that sugar is bad for you, but fake sugar is worse.    I guess moderation is the key. I've taken to not using sugar at all in my drinks.    
5. Cheap whole wheat bread.   Not much different than cheap white bread.    Look at the nutrition label.    The more fiber it has, the better.    
6. Soy milk.    I don't have a clue why, but that's what the nutritionists say. 
7. Tilipa.   Dirty........that's all I can say. 
8. Southern grown chicken.    Local is better.   There is more to it.    
9. Individual packets of microwave oatmeal.    Cost more and have less nutrition.   
10. Microwave popcorn.   It's not the corn, it's the stuff they put in it.   
11. Bonus: cheap hot dogs.   There is a difference between Hebrew national and Nathan's vs the other brands.   Some hot dogs 🌭 have mystery ingredients.    There is also a faction out there that is against all processed meats.    We like them, so my answer is moderation. 

Grocery outlet and dollar tree

Guess where we went!    LOL

Holiday time  is a good time to stock  picnic supplies.  Prices are about  as low as they get on picnic type fare.  

I got plastic trays for the deck table to make eating out there easier.   Wenwalk threw two rooms to get to the family room door, so it should make life easier carrying our plates.  

I also get a pound cake from DT.  I have strawberries and whip cream already,   We are having Texas stew for dinner,   It's in the slow cooker/ insta pot.  I brought the ingr Donets up to warm woth the sauté feature because so,emofmthem were frozen and then switched to slow cooker.  

Grocery outlet

• Bluecheese 3.49
• Wish bone  Italian dressing - good for marinade.   At pull date.25 
• Lemon snack bars .99
• Pudding mixes , chocolate caramel  3/1 
• Tomato paste , hunts. Ind packets .99
• Challenge butter 1.98
• Nathan's franks 2/5 
• Sliced Italian salami 199
• Total 15.93  - saves 41.65 

Chain store ads

Just a note: some of the condiment and s'mores supplies are cheaper year   round at the dollar tree.  Beware of origins, but some are national brands. 

Alberways 

Five dollar Friday : Pork Tenderloin

Coupon 10 off 50.   I don't find that a good coupon becaise the other prices are so much higher that you aren't saving anything.  

Sweet baby rays BBQ.   .79 @@ if u have the coupon on last Sunday's paper it is cheaper  at FM. 

Hot dog buns 2/1.00@@

Tortilla chips 1.99@@

2 lbs Tillamook cheese brick 7.99-  not a bargain.  It's one of the misquotes that brick cheese is cheaper than grated.    

Sour cream 4/5 

QFC (Kroger ) 

Strawberries 188

Tomatoes .88

Tillamook 2 lb block 5.99 ( still too high ) 

Eggs .78

Butter 2/5 

Tillamook ice cream 2/6 

Hebrew national 2/6 

April-- this ones for you.    Corn 2/1.00

Note : Hebrew national is not my preferred hot dog only because they package them in numbers of one less hot dog than there are buns in a package.   It has nothing to do with the quality.  Another note of a dirty little secret.    Almost always , it doesn't pay  to get the hotdogs and the buns at the same store.   They will use one for a "loss leader " and make up the profit on the other.   

Tuesday book review

Taste of Home Meals in One Pan


It's always a time saver to cook meals on one pan because you have less things to watch and less pans to wash,   It's especially nice of it os a slow cooker meal that you can set and forget.   Threemcoirse or more meals are time consuming and not always the best if you have children  to watch as well.   I am a advocate of involving children in the dinner process.   Sunday breakfast 4 Dinner  can be a family affair.. even granddaughter can bitter the English muffins or toast.

This cookbook is a soft sided one that I got at a discount at Winco.    I have written for Taste of Home in the past.    I also have been published in Womans  Day.

The book is divided into chapters to include those of protein ,and cooking vessels with the added bonus of deserts.    Yum!  There are a variety of meals woth a variety of basic costs.  Some are more expensive than others, and some can be easily adapted without sacrificing the integrity of the meal.

It's one that you will refer to often to spark up a dull meal week.

Monday kitchen management

reminder of meal plan

Pizza
Breakfast 4 dinner
Texas stew
Stuffed pasta shells
Asparagus ( green beans ) Angel hair shrimp
Chicken enchaladas
Meditranian  Pork and orzo,

• Buy green beans, hominy, check shrimp , tomatoes 
• Texas stew : hamburger, hominy, corn - wash potatoes for slicing 
• Stuffed pasta shells -ok.    Bought shells for 1.29 
• Wash veggies 
• Clean fridge 
• Take inventory of meat drawer,   Disinfect drain boards and drains 
• Make a desert 
• Wash floor 
• Wax north side of kitchen cupboards

Grocery hauls

Grocery shopping / Sunday

Wheat bread.   1.45
Hot dog buns .79
Blue bunny ice cream 3.50  less .50 coupon
English cucumber .78
Strawberries 1.98
Green beans 2.98
Red grapes 148 a pound
Total 14.36


Fred Meyers

Chicken breast
Hebrew franks 3.00
Sweet baby rays sauce 100 les .33 cents .67 ( coupon)
Blueberries 299
Tomatoes .88
Total 16.77

Total 31.13

Costco Rebate Haul

Rebate hauls don't hit my total spent list becaise it is a return of money we already spent,  

Non food items are not listed on this list.  We bought soap thatnwas discounted, new pillows, and husband's  beer.  

• Soy sauce 
• Tortilla chips. 
• Bananas 
• Celery 

Meal plans -may 22

Meal  plans save time, effort, and money and a lot of stress.  

Focus....taste of home - Meals on one pan

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

• Pizza 🍕- a favorite and basic pizza cost little more than a dollar.   A good way to use up bits of leftovers 
• Breakfast 4 Dimner - another great way to feed family for less.    Eggs are still .10 or less.   
• Texas stew.: a slow cooker meal with hamburger, hominy, corn , tomatoes, beans, etc.    - Taste of Home 
• Stuffed pasta shells , broccoli. 
• Asparagus and shrimp angelhair ( sub green beans ) 
• Chicken enchaladas woth sour cream sauce.   
• Mediterranean Pork and orzo 

Fred Meyer Sunday specials

It's  BBQ time.    Now would be the time to buy your YEARs worth of BBQ sauce.   For us, that's not a lot.    Baby Rays is 100 several places. We ncludimg fred Meyers and there ism buy 3, save a dollar coupon in Sunday's paper.   There is also a coupon  for .50 off of Blue Bunny  ice cream cones,    A good treat if you are in a diet or are counting carbs.  

Foster Farms split chicken breast .87 - stock  up rotation alert!
Blueberries 299
Tomatoes .88
Turkey bacon  2/5

Sour cream , cottage cheese, cream cheese 4/5
Hebrew national hot dogs 2/6


Notes : Hebrew national hot dogs as well as Nathan's have no excess animal parts in them.  
Now would be a good time to stock chicken breast for a rotation meat.  
Buying picnic type BBQ sauce, catsup. Mustard etc is a good time,  many times you can find condiments with coupons.really cheap.    Sweet baby rays has taken a price hike from last year so getting it for .67 is a good buy.  ( coupons) .  

They are also pushing s'mores .    I can almost always get Graham crackers and marshmallows at the  DT .   ( Dollar Tree) .  

Hot dog and hamburger buns are always under a dollar for Wincos brand,   The hamburger buns are smaller but suit you well if you are counting carbs or on a diet.  

Freddies wanted five dollars for good hamburger.  I can usually get it for 3.28 at Winco.

Friday remake of a recipe

Herb dip with veggies

Dip :

2 cups reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup homemade ranch dressing mix
1 T onion flakes ( or dehydrated onions )
2 T dried  parsley

Place in bowl and stir.   Cover to store in refrigerator.

Serve with  carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes.broccolli