What I buy from Costco, and What's For Dinner

 

No one at my house seems to know what day it is today. Brian and I thought it was Thursday, and Landon never knows what day it is. Carolynn of course, knew what day it was. Thankfully she enjoys correcting us, and got us all on track. 😜 It's Wednesday!

I made a trip to Costco this week, so I’m keeping it thrifty (more than usual) this week on the grocery store. I both dread, and look forward to Costco trips. It’s kind of fun to go through Costco, until you get to the check-out and it’s AT LEAST $200. If you even toss two extra things in your cart, you probably just added $30 to your bill. I try to stay all business in that place. Get what you need. Get out. But first get pizza, and a frozen yogurt from the cafe….because I’m only human.

From Costco, I buy:

• Yogurt
• Kirkland brand plain Greek Yogurt. We use this to eat (add honey, fruit, oats..) for breakfast and snacks, but also as a sub for sour cream in sauces.
• Butter
• Cheese
• I almost never buy shredded cheese. I buy a whole block of Colby and shred it, or slice it as needed.
• I will sometimes buy their mozzarella logs also if we’re planning a pizza night.
• Tortilla Chips
• We really don’t eat/buy chips except tortilla chips (see my love affair with salsa mentioned below). Tortilla chips and salsa is a winner with pretty much every one so it’s also a good thing to keep around in case guests pop in. It’s $3.54 for a giant bag of chips you think you could never eat all those chips! But we manage to crush that challenge every time.
• Dried Fruit, Nuts
• We switch between dried blueberries, and cherries. These also go on sale in the bulk section at Sprouts, which will end up a better deal. But we like to keep these around all the time, so I keep them stocked. We put these in yogurt, or mix them with nuts snacks.

• 

• Laundry and Dishwasher soap
• I’m not picky about it really. I usually use the Arm and Hammer detergent since it goes on sale frequently
• Bread
• A friend recommended Dave's Killer Bread to me recently and it's delicious. I keep it in the freezer to help it last.

 I’m actually planning on trying to make homemade sandwich bread today! I’ll take some pictures and share more on that next week!

• Paper Products
• Paper towels
• Toilet paper
• Trash Bags
• MATEO’S SALSA
• Have you had this? You will find yourself asking the question, “What can I eat salsa on? Can we eat salsa on this?” It’s the BEST salsa on Earth and every stinkin’ time I go, I buy 3 jars. So you go buy it too so they never stop selling it. GO!
• Chicken Broth
• I usually stock up on this more in the winter for soups.
• Salt, Pepper and Garlic

 

• Toothpaste
• Aspirin and allergy meds
• Dog food
• To be honest, I’m not in the know about dog food pricing. I just buy it at Costco because it’s a stupid big bag and I don’t have to buy it again for a long time.

Depending on need, and sale items, I occasionally will also buy eggs, coconut water, fish sticks (they have some really good ones!) veggies, La Croix or Ozarka sparkling water.

I do not purchase meat from Costco. I have not found it to be cheaper than Sprouts-where I’m getting chicken this week for $1.88/pound.

Ok! Here’s this week’s menu. We are planning to have dinner with friends one night, where I’m planning to bring some snacks and a dessert. Angel food cake is $1.99 this week, so I’ll take that and some fruit because YUM. It’s a winner every time.

Wednesday	Leftovers!
Thursday	Sesame Honey Chicken Wraps (I use butter lettuce leaves) Rice, veggie
Friday	Homemade pizza -pepperoni, margherita Salad with tomatoes, carrots (.98) and cucumbers (3/$1)
Saturday	Grilled Chicken ($1.88/lb) Grilled Zucchini, grilled corn (6/$1!!) Maybe some of my homemade bread?!
Sunday	Dinner with friends Bringing salsa, chips, roasted corn and avocado salad (I’ll throw all the corn on the grill Saturday and use the extra for this. Add avocadoes, salt, chili powder, purple onion, tomatoes-eat with chips, or a fork.)
Monday	Spaghetti (pasta .98, sauce 2/$4) I really like to make my own sauce, but will use a jar tonight. We will be coming home from visiting friends, so keeping it simple.
Tuesday	Swedish Meatballs Veggie

I cannot believe this will be the last week of school! I am so excited for summer, but also kinda sad C will be in FIRST grade! All those well meaning people that say, “it goes by so fast. Enjoy every minute” were not lying. I feel like this year went by in a flash and I can just see my kid’s childhoods zooming by. OKAY nice old lady, I’m there. I believe you now, and time can just stand.still. But, since that’s not possible, I just really have to try to enjoy the moments and treasure their young-ness. I've never done that well. It’s impossible to treasure EVERY moment, but this summer my goal is to really just BE present with my kids. Hold me to that ok? Unless they ask me to play school. I don’t have to do that. They’re so bossy! :)

Happy cooking, and happy last week of school! Bring on the summer!

What's For Dinner Wednesday!!

Some weeks I am inspired to choose more than enough meals for the week. I’ll be trying to decide which 7 meals I should plan for because 10 are “speaking to me” this week and they all look good/are in budget/have ingredients on sale. This week: blech. 😝 I can’t come up with any ideas. Nothing looks good. Chicken again?!

But it’s called LIFE, and that’s just how it goes sometimes. This week was a struggle to make my list, but these are all tried and true recipes we can always count on to be yummy.  Let me know if you make any of these, I’de love to know how it goes. Happy planning, list making, shopping and cooking!

Wednesday	Hamburger Stroganoff Veggie This is a go-to at our house for sure. I sub plain, Greek yogurt with a squirt of lemon juice for the sour cream.
Thursday	Ritz Cheddar Chicken Veggie I omit the sauce on this-it really doesn't need it, and my kids just want ketchup anyway.
Friday	Salmon Rice Veggie I make salmon a couple different ways, but will probably just broil this with a little orange juice, soy sauce and brown sugar mixture on top.
Saturday	Verde Chicken Enchiladas Avocado, beans, salsa, and chips
Sunday	BBQ ribs in the crockpot Potatoes-sweet potato fries, baked potatoes, roasted reds (whichever’s on sale) Veggie
Monday	Chicken, bacon asparagus pasta I make this with whatever pasta I have, usually penne. I also will sometimes sub frozen peas, green beans, brussel sprouts (cut up) for the asparagus.  I have also revisited this recipe just to make that alfredo sauce for other pastas.
Tuesday	Breakfast for dinner: eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits

What's For Dinner Wednesday!!

Hey friends! Here's the Smith dinner line up for us this week. I am having a girls weekend this weekend (woot woot!) so Brian and the kids are on their own, and I'm off the hook for two dinners this week. BUT, in case you are interested, I'll link two of my favorite recipes for you to check out for your menu.

As mentioned last week, I only list "veggie" on some of my meals. I will just choose whatever looks good and is affordable when shopping.

Wednesday	Chopped salad with grilled chicken, fruit (chicken breasts are $1.79/lb this week!)
Thursday	Zucchini “noodle” lasagna with spinach (zucchini is 2 lbs/$1! I'll use leftover sausage from last week's pizza night, and leftover ground beef from taco night)
Friday	Mom's Weekend!
Saturday	Mom's Weekend!
Sunday	Pork Loin Roast*($1.99/lb), rice, veggie *I have never made that recipe, but may try it this week. The ingredients are all things I have on hand, and the flavor will go well with the Lo mein I'm making later in the week.
Monday	Meatloaf muffins, veggies
Tuesday	Pork Lo Mein, egg rolls (I'll use leftover pork loin from Sunday)

Here's two recipes that are staples over here and are a hit with the whole family:

This sesame chicken is SO yummy. We have this with rice and carrots, or broccoli. Carrots are always super affordable.
Sesame Chicken

This is a one-skillet meal. Love those. Since chicken and zucchini are on great promotions this week, this is a great choice for this menu.
Tex Mex Chicken Zucchini Skillet

 You can go check out all my saved dinner recipes on Pinterest, here: Dinner Board

As always, more than happy to share any recipes you're interested in! Happy cooking!

Thanks for reading -Steph

My Tips for shopping at Sprouts on a Budget, AND my menu for the week!

Hi friends! I have had enough people ask me about my meal planning, grocery budget and dinner menu that I thought sharing my weekly meal plan would be something to share here, on the blog. To get this started, I wanted to share how, and where I shop and some "rules" I follow. Next week I'll share my menu, but this week I've also included some of my tips.

I do all my grocery shopping on Wednesdays. And only Wednesday. I would rather sit on a cactus than grocery shop twice in one week. I do Wednesdays because Sprouts has double circular day. This means that all the previous week's specials, as well as the following week's specials are all applicable that day. You get double the savings! I look through the circulars on Tuesday, and make my meal plan based on the promotions they are running.

First, I should mention that we have 1/3 of a beef in our freezer, so I will make beef meals about once, or more a week and those meals aren't included in that weekly amount since we have that meat here already. I also make 1-2 trips to Costco a month, ringing up about $150-$200 a trip depending on our needs that month. So I am spending more than $400/month on groceries. But, I do feed my kids breakfast, lunch and dinner from home, or packed in a lunchbox, every day.

I really, really love Sprouts for lots of reasons I won't bore you with. Here's where you can find your circular, or if you have a Sprouts near you: Sprouts.com But, hopefully you will find these tips are applicable at your grocery.

• Make a list.
• Y'all know this. You've heard it. Sorry to be lame, but it's true. You have to plan your meals, and you have to make a list. 
• I make my list the night before. I sit down with: 
• My computer or phone for looking at the circulars (you may get them in the mail)
• Two pieces of paper. One for grocery list, one for my menu. 
• My cookbooks nearby, or Pinterest available to refer to my recipes. 
• I also have a whiteboard on my fridge to keep track of staples that we need. Peanut butter, milk, ketchup...my whole family is trained to write down anything they realize we are out of. 
• Keep to the list. 
• you knew that was coming.
• I do make exceptions to that rule if something is on a seriously good sale/on the clearance cart. If it's something that's on sale, but you don't need it this week, the tag often has a "On Sale Until ___" date on it. You can assess whether or not it's something you want to make an exception for. 
• Try to keep your "aisle items" to a minimum, but don't make a special trip to find them elsewhere. 
• Aisle items ARE more expensive at Sprouts. A can of beans is $ .59 at HEB, and $1 at Sprouts. I have tried the approach of, "I'll get meat, fruits and veggies at Sprouts, and "aisle items" at HEB where they are cheaper." This didn't work the way I hoped. I spent too much at HEB after I got all my good, necessary food at Sprouts. There will be something else you forgot you "needed", there will be a coupon you can't pass up...you get the idea. Just spend the extra on aisle items while at Sprouts, and just don't get too many. I have gritted my teeth and spend $7 on peanut butter because we were totally out and I couldn't get to Costco. It can seem painful but not worth that extra trip. 
• Make your menu reflect what's on sale.
• If pork is on sale, you're having pork chops. If chicken's on sale, you're having chicken. 
• As soon as you see something on sale you can use, find a recipe, add the ingredients you need to your grocery list right then and write down what you're making on your menu.
• Don't be too picky about fruits and vegetables.
• We eat lots of fruit. Know why my kids think Kiwis are like candy? Because kiwis don't go on sale. So Smiths get Kiwi every blue moon when I'm feeling very generous:) We regularly eat bananas and apples plus another one or two on sale/in season fruit. 
• On my list, I usually just write, "veggies x ___". I choose from the veggies that look good and are a good price that week. I don't stress too much about choosing them from the circular while I make my list. 
• Don't make "kid food" 
• I have a whole soap box about this. You don't need to hear it. Just make one meal for your family. 
• (If you are pregnant, have a baby, a toddler, or PMS, this doesn't apply to you. You are in your season. You are pretty and worthy. Your kids, AND your husband like, and appreciate, cereal and sandwiches for dinner.)

Here's what we're eating this week:

Wednesday: Chicken Curry and Eggplant Punjab with Naan bread 

Thursday: Beef with Broccoli, egg rolls (from Costco), and rice 

Friday/Cinco de Mayo: soft beef tacos, corn salad(corn, avocado, purple onion, lime juice, salt, pepper, chili powder), chips and salsa

Saturday: Steaks, homemade bread, zucchini

Sunday: Homemade pizzas (pepperoni for kids, supreme for grown-ups), salad 

Monday: Falafel with yogurt sauce, cucumbers and carrots with hummus

Tuesday: Sloppy Joes, sweet potato fries  

I have included the links to two of these recipes, but happy to share with you any others you want. 

Ok, Sorry to be so long-winded! Next week I'll keep it short and sweet, and share my menu.  

Thanks for reading! XO, Steph