grocery shopping

Should beer and wine count toward the weekly Pantry Challenge grocery budget? Not surprisingly, my husband–who is no fan of the Pantry Challenge–emphatically says no.

If he’s right and it doesn’t, I stayed close to my $50 goal last week. I even hosted a neighborhood party–and I tried to use what I had on hand for the desserts, like 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies (which were a big hit).

I also made Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake (recipe here):

And Apple Blackberry Crumble Tart:

Other highlights of the week included Homemade Mac & Cheese (recipe here), a particularly yummy batch (I use whatever cheese odds and ends I have in the fridge):

Homemade Hummus (recipe here) with Seasoned Flatbread (I sprayed the tops of stale flatbread with olive oil, sprinkled on some spice blends, and popped them in the toaster oven for a minute or two):

Week Three Meal Plan

Sunday: Indian Chicken with Peas & Whole Wheat Naan (held over from last week)

Monday: Burgers with Edamame, Salads

Tuesday: Farmer’s Market Chicken Kielbasa on the grill with Whole Wheat Noodles, Salads

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza, Salads

Thursday: Chicken Pad Thai with Broccoli

Friday: Leftovers/Clear Out the Fridge Night

Saturday: Grown-ups at a party; Ravioli and raw veggies for the kids and our babysitter

If you’re doing your own Pantry Challenge, how is it going?

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Pantry Challenge: Week #2 Meal Plan

by Sally on November 5, 2012

The good news is that I stuck to my meal plan pretty closely last week (read: Pantry Challenge: Week #1 Shopping Trip & Meal Plan).

The bad news is that we had two last-minute events that busted my budget. One was an out-of-town trip that involved pizza delivery. Another was hosting a night time Nerf gun battle in our backyard for a dozen third graders. That involved buying a lot of beer and wine for the brave parents who stuck around.

The other bad news: Part of my pantry stash had to be tossed after I discovered we had pantry moths. You can read more about how to prevent and treat them here. The only upside to pantry moths? Those shelves are the cleanest they’ve ever been.

But enough gloom and doom. Here are some highlights from Week #1:

Delicious homemade pizza (recipe here)

A giant batch of homemade granola (recipe here)

A free case of Müller yogurt to try (my kids are snacking on one every day)

Week #2 began with a shopping trip for yogurt, milk, fruit, veggies, and cheese. Grand Total: $36.39.

Week Two Meal Plan

Sunday: Leftovers/Empty-The-Fridge Night

Monday: Tacos with grass-fed beef from freezer, Roasted Broccoli

Tuesday: Red Lentil Soup with Homemade Rolls, Salads

Wednesday: Homemade Mac-n-Cheese (using odds and ends from cheese stash), Edamame

Thursday: Homemade Pizza with farmer’s market sausage and homemade pesto from freezer, Salads

Friday: Crockpot 3 Packet Pot Roast, Carrots, Whole Wheat Noodles

Saturday: Indian Chicken with Naan from freezer, Carrots/Peas from freezer

If you’re doing your own Pantry Challenge, how is it going? If you’d like to join, let me know!

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Aldi Haul: My Best Finds This Week

October 14, 2012

I’ve already waxed poetic about Aldi (read: Ode to Aldi). So I won’t go on and on about how much I love the discount grocery chain. But I couldn’t help but share these especially good deals (and a few new finds) from this week’s shopping trip: 16-ounce bag of frozen fruit for morning smoothies Aldi [...]

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Ode to Aldi

September 5, 2012

I’m pretty frugal. I coupon. I’ve even been known to hoard groceries when I come across a really good deal. So naturally, I love Aldi. I love their no-frills approach. They don’t need fancy lighting and free samples. They’re not going to give your kid a balloon at checkout. They’re not even going to bag [...]

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Organic Mom

September 14, 2011

Organic Mom was in line behind me at the grocery store the other day. Full disclosure: I have this really bad habit of looking at the contents of other people’s grocery carts. I’m not judging them. Okay, sometimes I am judging them. Mostly, I view it as “research”. But when Organic Mom was behind me [...]

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Pantry Challenge Update: Week One

February 8, 2011

Ten days into my Pantry Challenge, and my half-empty refrigerator is making me uneasy–especially because I know it’s only going to get emptier. This week’s revelations: Grocery shopping with $25 is depressing. Armed with a calculator, Henry went shopping with me Sunday and added up our purchases as we went along. We spent $22.25 on [...]

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Coupon Queen

December 17, 2009

I come from a long line of frugal. My mom sewed my clothes and Halloween costumes growing up. My dad’s been known to show up at flea markets with a flashlight. And it took me years to figure out that when my grandpa said he found something at the “emporium”, he was actually referring to [...]

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