$75 Weekly Shopping and Menu 2-25-19

Well, I’m happy to say that this weekend’s shopping trip went much better! I learned a lot from last week’s mishaps, so now I’m diving back in as strong as ever.

First of all, I realized I don’t need all this fancy stuff to complete my Whole30. I don’t need compliant bacon that’ll cost me $8.00, or ghee, or almond flour, or even store-bought dressings.

All I need are a few simple ingredients and a whole lot of spices, and I can make frugal but delicious food. I bought a couple extra rolls of ground turkey that I’ll season for homemade breakfast sausage or Italian sausage. I’ve got plenty of chicken in the freezer that I can marinade in different ways. And I’m making my own mayo this week to turn into different sauces, including ranch dressing.

Second, apparently I’m not making enough food. Usually the dinners I make create lots of leftovers; but recently, we’ve been eating up the food faster than I can make those leftovers! So we struggled a bit over the weekend with cooking unplanned meals. It all worked out, even if the food was a bit boring (Eggs, eggs, and chicken salads).

This week should be a little better, because I bought a huge pork butt that’ll make two different meals and hopefully give us lots of leftovers! We’ll have to see- I’ve been eating more meat on the Whole30 which is probably why all this food keeps disappearing. I may have to adjust yet again for next week.

Here’s what I bought this week (AND stayed on budget!):

Aldi

2 packages Romaine hearts: $1.99 each
Milk: $1.58
2 rolls ground turkey: $1.99 each
Extra light olive oil: $2.49
Guacamole cups: $3.29
Salsa: $1.19
Carrots: $1.29
2 heads broccoli: $1.59 each
Zucchini: $1.39
Pork butt roast: $11.25
Strawberries: $2.29
3 dozen eggs: $.58 each
Hamburger buns: $.85
Splenda packets: $1.39
Baking powder: $.99
Seasoned salt: $1.99
Caesar dressing: $.89
Croutons: $.89
Spaghetti squash, 3.2 pounds: $2.85
Salami: $2.59
Whipping cream: $1.55
Canned olives: $1.19
Tomato paste: $.39
Roma tomatoes: $.99
Cucumber: $.49
Bananas, 5.07 pounds: $2.23
Sweet potatoes, 3-pound bag: $2.29
Multi-colored peppers: $1.79
Red grapes, 3.08 pounds: $3.36
Wheat crackers: $1.19
Shredded Parmesan: $1.99
2 cans crushed tomatoes: $.65 each
2 packages mushrooms: $.99 each

Total: $65.83. Used a $5.00 coupon.

Meijer

Fennel seed: $1.29
Thyme: $3.59
Aidell’s chicken apple sausage: $5.49

• Used a $1.00/1 mPerks coupon

Total: $9.37
Weekly Total: $75.20

Menu

Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.

Dinner
Small group- Making a large salad
Pulled pork sandwiches (Salad for me), Garlic Herb Spaghetti Squash
Carnitas burritos (Salad for me) with sauteed bell peppers
Chicken sausage with cauliflower rice* (From freezer), roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli
Chicken Parmesan pizza (Bread Machine Pizza Dough, Spaghetti Sauce, cooked chicken, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese)- I’m eating just sauce and chicken on zoodles
Whole Wheat Waffles (Leftovers for me)
Dinner out

Breakfast
Egg and veggie scramble
Carrot Pancakes

Allison’s Lunch
Salami, Gogurt*, strawberries, sliced cheese*, crackers

Also made this chocolate cake for a party for John, using the whipping cream purchased above

What’s on your menu this week? Share below in the comments!

Jaime Bacon

Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.

Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.

See full bio here