First week of school!  I’m trying to keep things simple.  Groceries first.

I had intended to go to BJs on Tuesday, but a spontaneous park play date took up that time.  So, I went to Shaw’s instead.  I got a gallon of milk (expensive here so that’s why there’s not more), apples, goldfish, and my usual Shaw’s items – oatmeal, pizza dough, and pizza cheese.

In the afternoon, I went to the Farmer’s Market.  It’s my first trip of the year, which is much later than usual.  I don’t always go much at the beginning because its mainly greens.  Then we were moving so I was paring down and not cooking as much.  Last week it rained; this was desperately needed so I won’t complain.

Everything here is local and I was happy to see the apples because Shaw’s hadn’t had Macintosh.

I made it to BJ’s on Wednesday.  I got 8 gallons of milk, along with the items shown.  I don’t actually need this much jelly, but it was free with the peanut butter purchase and it will keep.

I’m still working through the holes created as I used up but didn’t restock before moving.  So, Thursday’s trip to Wegman’s was motivated by a lack of Chili Powder.  If I’d realized this earlier I would have picked that up at BJ’s.  I also used up our Red Wine Vinegar before moving.  The other items are for regular use.

Saturday we were at Wegman’s again (this was planned during the previous visit) to get a roast to BBQ.  We also started to restock the school supplies – craisins and granola bars.  With this were 12 gallons of milk (1 was left from the 8 purchased Wednesday at BJs).

Now for the meal plan.

Saturday:
Beef roast
Carrots
Mashed potatoes
Salad
Gravy

Sunday:
The new dishwasher has failed so in an attempt to not generate too many dishes I opted for take out pizza.

Monday:
Chicken pot pie
Broccoli

Tuesday:
I’m going out so we have leftover chicken pot pie.

Wednesday:
Shepard’s pie
Green & wax beans

Thursday:
Asiago chicken

Friday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade pizza

This past week I finally got back to restocking.  But, I was still stuck with extra small grocery runs as we chose what to eat (that wasn’t take out).

On Monday I went to Wegman’s.  I actually bought a dozen milks, but this was all that fit in a single location in the car.  The rest were scattered and therefore didn’t make the picture.  I did some restocking – ketchup, cereal, granola bars, etc; bought some produce for the first time in what seemed like forever; and bought a few easy lunches- chicken salad & mac n cheese.

I also went to the farm stand for more produce.  Everything is local except the peaches, which are from Pennsylvania.  I recall hearing that we had a bad freeze or such that damaged the fruit trees in New England this past winter so we may not get local peaches this year.  These were good though, better than standard grocery store fare.

On Wednesday, I went to Stop & Shop.  With the exception of bananas and pepperoni, these are things I can’t get at Wegman’s.  Either they don’t have the brand I prefer or I prefer the Stop & Shop version.

Once we knew the weekend weather was going to hold, we decided to BBQ.  We got steaks at Wegman’s (no picture).  I went back to Stop & Shop for a few sides.

Now, I admit I don’t have this whole week planned out.  We’ve got a couple of weeks here with few evening activities so I’m trying to make the most of it.  But, I still don’t have everything I usually have available at home.  And, the kids are still off school so I have to balance my desire to shop with them vs my desire to plan interesting menus.  There wasn’t anything in this week’s sale flyers that interested me.

Saturday:
We all went to the minor league baseball game.  Most people had hotdogs.

Sunday:
Rib-eye steaks
Pan fried potatoes
Carrots
Salad

Monday (boys’ have last summer golf lesson in the evening):
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade pizza

Tuesday:
Tacos

Wednesday:
TBD

Thursday:
TBD

Friday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade pizza

Two menus in a row!  Maybe we’re back on track.

On Monday I went to Stop & Shop for a very small number of items.  Bread was buy 1/get 1 Free.  I bought some s’mores supplies.  We had them over the weekend and as is often the case, ran out of chocolate whilst having some graham crackers and plenty of marshmallows leftover.  Since these items are still on sale in the run up to July 4, I stocked up on what we were short on.  The other items are to round out a few items we have in the pantry in an attempt to use things up before we move.

Saturday I went to the farm stand and Wegman’s.  The strawberries are local, despite the plastic packaging.

Much of the Wegman’s purchase was for Sunday when we had Carne Asada for dinner.  Soda is on sale for July 4.  We need milk (always!).  Then there are a couple of other regular items.

Saturday:
Hamburgers
Chips
Strawberries
Pasta salad

Sunday:
Carne Asada
Homemade Pico de Gallo
Homemade Guacamole
Refried beans

Monday:
Adults: Homemade pizza
Kids: Macaroni & cheese

Tuesday:
Asiago chicken (didn’t make the cut with a last minute schedule change last week)
Veggie platter

Wednesday:
Steak & broccoli stir fry
Rice

Thursday:
We’re going to play this one by ear.

Friday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade pizza

Well, its been quite some time since I posted a Menu Plan, but now that baseball season is over we’ll try to get back on track.  First, though, the shopping.

On Thursday I went to BJs, hence the inspiration for last Friday’s post.  I got some steaks for Father’s Day, some chicken for this week, refills of a few items we’ll use fast now that the boys are out of school, and what I expect will be my last batch of chicken nuggets for a while.  (After baseball season folks can be kind of sick of those.)

Saturday we went to Wegman’s.  The potatoes and Romaine are sides for Father’s Day.  The brown paper hides the big steak which the adults ate for dinner Saturday night.  I got some steaks for early next week (their fresh packs allow purchasing this far in advance) and some regular churn stuff.

Finally, on Sunday I went to the farm stand for their strawberry festival.  We got lots of strawberry related samples and bought some chocolate covered strawberries.

I wouldn’t normally buy meat there, but Wegman’s didn’t have veal cutlets.  The English peas and strawberries are now locally in season.  The other items are to round out various meals.

And, the meal plan.  With school finishing up I’ve purposefully not scheduled too much this week so we’re somewhat flexible.

Saturday:
Kids: afternoon BBQ filled them up enough that they weren’t interested in dinner
Adults: Cowboy steak, pan fried shredded potatoes

Sunday:
Rib-eye steaks
Baked potatoes
Cesar salad
Strawberries

Monday:
Chicken pot pie
Green beans

Tuesday:
I’m going out so we have leftover steak and chicken pot pie to choose from.

Wednesday:
Veal parmesean
Salad

Thursday:
Asiago chicken (with fresh English peas!)

Friday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade pizza

This week we mostly continued eating what was already in the house.  I did go to Wegman’s to top off milk and some snack/lunch items.

I also went to Stop & Shop for, primarily, dinner stuff.  The roast (and garlic and fresh herbs) went into our new Sous Vide contraption last week.  This was the second time we’d used it (first for a roast) and it worked great.  We’re not sure the ribs were worth the extra time & effort, but the meat was excellent and so easy.

Note re Sous Vide – we already had a vacuum sealer.  This makes the machine more reasonable.  Since you need one to make sous vide work, purchasing both will double your costs.

Finally, I went to BJs to catch up a bit.  Though, it wasn’t that big a trip.  The two canisters that are hard to read are minced garlic and shredded parmesan.  We used the tortillas, with the hard shells shown above, for tacos last week.

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a menu plan, but here we go.  This is the menu plan for this coming week.  But, I’m out of practice so I can’t remember what we had Saturday to start the week!

Saturday:
???

Sunday:
Homemade pizza (in the living room to watch the AFC Championship game)

Monday:
Shepard’s pie
Green beans

Tuesday:
Kids: Chicken nuggets
Adults: Tuna noodle casserole

Wednesday:
Sous vide chicken
Fingerling potatoes
Salad

Thursday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade pizza

Friday:
Dad + oldest 3:  out
Me + younger 3: take out pizza

Since I wasn’t cooking, I didn’t have much I needed to buy this week; most of this is taking advantage of Thanksgiving opportunities.  I did bring mashed potatoes, gravy, and gingerbread.

I made a quick stop at Wegman’s this week.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  I usually buy Old El Paso taco shells, but Wegman’s didn’t have them so I bought Ortega.  We all agreed Old El Paso is better.

Tuesday I also went to the Thanksgiving instance of the Farmer’s Market.  It’s the only off season opportunity, so this is it until June.  (Yes, some people would have stocked up more.  But, we don’t eat much squash and I’m ok with grocery store potatoes & onions.)

Here’s the menu plan for this coming week.

Saturday:
Leftovers

Sunday:
Kids: Chicken nuggets, carrots
Adults: Homemade pizza

Monday:
Salmon
Pan fried potatoes
Brocolli

Tuesday:
Shepard’s pie
Green beans

Wednesday:
Fajitas

Thursday:
Kids: Mac n cheese
Adults: Tuna noodle casserole

Friday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade Pizza

I’m not sure this is the most exciting week, mostly because I’m not doing the primary cooking next weekend on any of the days – lots of family gatherings – so I’m not sure what the menus will be!

On the plus side, we did finally have the last soccer practices and games this weekend so by next week we should actually be back to normal.

First for the shopping,

I made a few stops this past week.  First I went to BJs.  (Note the new photo location – the only place I could find that wasn’t being invaded by the contractors.  You’ll see some more odd spots later.)  There’s not much out of the ordinary.  I was happy to see that they had pizza dough again, as it was missing last time I went.  That being said, I nearly bought out the shelf so it may be hit or miss going forward.  We’ll have to see.

Thursday I went to Stop & Shop.  I had coupons so this particular configuration of cans/cartons of broth maximized my savings.  The big store coupons for the week were the flour, butter, potatoes, and chips; I don’t usually buy brand name AP flour or butter.  There are also four cans of evaporated milk to go with the four cans of pumpkin pie mix.

Finally, on Saturday I went to Wegman’s.  It was much more crowded than during the week, but not bad.  I had a few items that are best to get there and I wanted to visit before the Thanksgiving sales ended.  This was my chance.

Cereal, granola bars, eggs, and tomatoes were what I really needed from Wegman’s.  I got the corn because we’re running low and the $1 off coupon was for a frozen food item this week.  The flour, turkey, and clementines were Thanksgiving sale purchases.  I would have bought more flour, but it was Limit 2.  The turkey is in the freezer for a later date.

Here’s the menu plan for this coming week.

Saturday:
Leftover braised pork (made for Friday’s preschool dinner)
Leftover egg bread (also made for Friday’s preschool dinner)
Mashed potatoes

Sunday:
Asiago chicken

Monday:
Take out pizza (Husband isn’t home and the kids have been asking)

Tuesday:
Kids: Eggs
Adults: Homemade Pizza

Wednesday:
Tacos

Thursday:
Thanksgiving

Friday:
Thanksgiving leftovers?

Well, this post is really late!  Turns out this week is more chaotic than I thought and not just regarding dinner.  We have contractors doing minor work on the house.  The issue is, its a little everywhere.  Specifically, the main hallways are all being painted (among other things).  As of now the only room not affected is the living room, which means getting anything done and keeping the kids entertained requires much extra effort.

I thought meals would be back to normal after the last soccer game last weekend, but he got invited to participate in a tournament this weekend so we’ll have to postpone “normal” until after Thanksgiving.

Besides 2 evening soccer practices, we have second grade math night and a preschool event during the dinner hour this week.  First for the shopping,

I made a few stops this past week.  First, I went to Wegman’s.  The juice boxes are for one of the preschool dinners.  The paper wrappers are swordfish we ate last week.

Over the weekend I went to the cheese festival at the farm stand.  Naturally, I got a few items, including a fair amount of cheese.  The brown bag is seconds bananas, which work out to about 10¢ each and are great for banana bread.  The blueberries were not on my plan, but were begged and pleaded for by my 4y (and they were all eaten by the end of the day).  The cranberry sauce was another extra.  We usually prefer the can shaped variety, but I’ve had a variety of “Turkey Dinner” sandwiches this month and I decided a less jelly-like version would make a better sandwich spread.

Here’s the menu plan for this coming week.

Saturday:
Spaghetti

Sunday:
Chicken & Dumplings

Monday:
Kids: chicken nuggets, broccoli
Adults: homemade pizza

Tuesday:
Kids: eggs
Adults: homemade mac n cheese

Wednesday:
Beef stew
Oatmeal bread

Thursday:
Kids: shrimp, broccoli
Adults: leftovers

Friday:
Out at a preschool event.