Pages

Monday, March 17, 2008

$70 menu for our family of 8...Wow, under budget by $5.00!


Well, this week I was able to come in a little under budget, but there is chicken breast on sale, so I will spend the rest I have on that. I have had people tell me that there is no way to feed a family good, healthy food on a low budget. Well I am here to say, that it can be done. It just takes a little time and creativity. Enjoy!

Breakfast:
Monday: Waffles and fruit
Tuesday: Baked Oatmeal
Wednesday: Eggs Florentine and fruit
Thursday: Muffins and Sausage
Friday: French Toast
Saturday: Eggs, biscuits, and a meat
Sunday: Country ham and gravy over biscuits

Lunch:
Monday: Sandwiches and a side veggie--->either raw or cooked
Tuesday: Ham, mac & cheese, and a veggie
Wednesday: Chicken Salad
Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit
Friday: Leftovers or quesidillas if we have no leftovers
Sat and Sun: We either eat leftovers, or a salad, or sandwiches

Snacks:
Monday: Carrots and ranch dressing
Tuesday: Fruit
Wednesday: Banana Bread or homemade bread drizzled with butter and honey
Thursday: Celery and peanut butter or ranch dressing
Friday: Tortilla wraps---> I usually fill them with pizza sauce and cheese, which the kids call "mini pizzas", or peanut butter and honey

Dinner:
Monday:
Chicken Tetrazinni
Corn
Garlic bread

Tuesday:
Chicken Teriyaki
Fried rice
Eggrolls

Wednesday:
Taco and Burrito Bar
Refried beans

Thursday:
3 bean chili
Rice
Cornbread

Friday:
Pepperoni pizza
Breadsticks

Saturday: (Hubby's been asking for this for awhile)
BBQ burgers and hotdogs
Potato salad
Coleslaw
Garlic bread

Sunday:
Easter meal with extended family

Next week is kid's choice week. All the kids get to pick their own meal and help mom plan the grocery list for their meal. Then they each get to help cook their meal. It should be fun!



13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You must shop at Aldi, right? I'm curious how old your kids are. I have 11 and 9 year old boys, plus a 2 year old daughter. My boys come home from school STARVING, and I feel like I never have enough snack foods in the house for them. Do you have that problem and if so, what do you do?

Teresa said...

Elizabeth, I wish we had an Aldi's here! We actually don't have a great selection of stores, so I have to be even more creative to get the best deals.
My children are 14, 12, 10, 5, 3, and 2, and they love to eat!
The best thing I have done at snack time is to get rid of the typical snack foods. One, they are expensive, and two, they seem to leave the kids hungrier than before! Lot's of times, with their fruit especially, I will add cheese or peanut butter to add some protein. It fills them up a little better so they're not crying for more.

Unknown said...

Looks great to me!! We spent $70 on groceries for this week too but that included some staples that I needed to stock up on!

Wendy said...

Wow, I'm so impressed and inspired! Thank you so much for sharing your menu!

Anonymous said...

I think your menu is awesome! I know it's my fault, but my kids are picky eaters. They are 11, 9, and 8. The oldest is the worst of the three. I try to just give her what we are eating, but 'plain'. If we have spaghetti and meatballs, she eats plain noodles and plain meatballs! Chicken Fettucini Alfredo? She gets plain chicken and plain noodles.

Anyway -- with that being said, I try to keep my budget at around 80 for a family of five big eaters. My dh has many "wants" that push the budget up about 20 bucks a week, or else I could get away with about 60 or 65 -- but that is shopping at Save-A-Lot and Aldi and loss leaders.

You do an awesome job!!!!! I will keep on reading your blog for more ideas on how to keep my kids fed for less!

Sherry

http://frugaldomesticgoddess.blogspot.com/2008/03/menu-plan-monday-easter-week-edition.html

Genesa said...

I was wondering why you do the breakfasts you do,is it healthier, or cheaper? I always thought cereal was pretty cheap so I was just curious if it's cheaper to do the things you do.

Nicole said...

You are so organized. Do you cook all your meals from scratch or do you buy pre made items? I usually cook from scratch so that is why I am wondering. I just love to cook though and I was able to lower my grocery bill by $150 by doing that. You have inspired me to be more organized rather than just wake up and decide what to eat. I cant wait for your class.

BTW, thanks for adding the spelling link. I am definitely thinking that we may use it next year.

Teresa said...

mamaof3, cereal can be cheap but lots of time it isn't. The children are also hungry again an hour later after eating cereal. That being said, we do eat cereal occasionally, when I get a box free or nearly free. It's a treat.
Here in our family when we eat cereal, we pretty much use the whole box along with about 1/2 a gallon of milk. If I were to pay $3.00 for the box of cereal and another $2.15 for the milk, breakfast alone would run over $5.00. My baked oatmeal recipe will run right over $1.00 to feed all of us and is much more filling than cereal. Even making eggs, bacon, and biscuits can be cheaper than a box of cereal and we aren't hungry until lunch time. Does that make sense?

Teresa said...

cajunchic, I make alot of things from scratch. Sometimes I won't if I can get it cheaper than I can buy it, but mostly I cook from scratch.
Oh, and thanks!

Kate said...

It sounds like a delicious week at your house! I love the idea of a taco/burrito bar. Do you do ground beef, chicken, beans, or a combination?

The kids choice sounds like a lot of fun. My 8 year old is just starting to really get into meal planning, so I should start implementing something like this. Thanks for the idea.

Carlie Faulk said...

Looks like we're coming on Tuesday this week! Do you buy the Eggroll wrappers and make them yourself or do you buy them premade. I buy the wrappers and it's pretty cheap. 1.99 for 50. I make wantons with them though and I usually make 100 at a time and freeze the extra.

Carlie Faulk said...

Oh - I forgot to ask. did you get teh Ginger rice patties from mornigstar last week? you could use those instead of making fried rice. Save a little time.

Lisa said...

Your menu sounds great...I love the idea of letting the kids plan a day and the grocery list. I will be using that idea for my squirts. Have a blessed Easter!